Surprise of a lifetime
by Chelsie Whitlock
Summary: Bella is coming back home, both pregnant and alone, what will she do when she learns that some of the Cullens have returned to Forks in her absence? Rated M for future lemons...you have been warned!
1. Leaving Portland

**A/N: Okay guys this is my attempt at a Jasper/Bella story. I have two chapters done and I will try to maintain a chapter a week. I do not have a beta...I contacted a few and didn't get any replies so I am without beta. All the mistakes are my own, and if you want to offer your services please feel free. Any constructive critiscim will be greatly appreciated, and I love, love ,love reviews. If you have the time to read it please, take the extra 20 seconds to tap out a short little review It helps me be creative to see that people like the work.**

**P.S. I went back through and switched this to past tense to help with the flow, please excuse any tense mistakes. Starting in chapter 3 there is a wonderful Beta Jasper's Darlin' Kathy going through and checking over my writing.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Characters, places, or twilight...But I wish Jasper were mine.**

Surprise of a lifetime 1

~~Bella's POV~~

I took one last look around the apartment that had been my home for the past two years. I was doing the only thing I could do at the time. I was moving back home to forks. I felt like I was coming home with my tail between my legs.

Charlie would be there any minute. When I called to tell him that not only was I moving home but I was also expecting he was as supportive as ever and assured me that I would be a fantastic mother. He had also informed me in no uncertain terms that the "jackass who left me would pay". I sighed. I loved my dad but sometimes I wondered what it would be like to have two normal parents. I agreed that I was better off without Eric and all that implies, but right then I was very emotional and needed to get away from city life and back to the place I had fled from as soon as I graduated.

It seemed that in the four years I had been gone from forks, it almost didn't exist. It was as if all the memories of my first love, vampires and werewolves, really were just fairy tales. It was easy to forget the magic of forks when you were surrounded by concrete buildings and sirens, instead of the misty forests of Washington. It was easy to tell yourself that you loved the guy you started dating at your very first sorority party. How easy it had been to fool myself into thinking I was happy and complete, away from my family and the pack that saved me when I fell to pieces.

I was so glad to be going home even if it wasn't exactly how I originally imagined it would happen. I did have my Bachelors degree in Education so I hoped to get a job at one of the schools in town. I had an interview planned and a rental house already lined up. All of my boxes were packed. Charlie was bringing a U-Haul and Jacob to get everything loaded up and moved out of Portland.

I heard a knock on my door."Come in."

"Hey Bella, you look great." Jacob came bounding across the floor before bringing himself to a halt just in front of me. "Oops, almost forgot the precious cargo." He joked before gently embracing me in a hug.

"Hey Jake, how's it going? Find that special someone yet?" I lightly punched his shoulder as he pulled away from me. I talked to him regularly enough to know that he still hadn't imprinted on anyone and was doing fine without it. He was no longer as hard on himself as he once was; he enjoyed being young and wild. He said that when it happened it happened and until then he had all the time in the world. I was so happy that my friend had found peace. It showed on his face as he laughed heartily.

I turned to see Charlie standing forlornly by the sofa. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. "Hey, it's good to see you. How is Sue doing?" I asked him about his girlfriend and he shrugged nonchalantly.

"She's doing well, how are you doing? How is my grandbaby doing?" Charlie patted my stomach awkwardly. He was so excited about having a little one around again. He had asked about me after every appointment, and wanted copies of the first ultrasound last week to put on the fridge. I had expected him to be the one that was upset about his single daughter getting pregnant. Instead it had been Renee that had flipped out, telling me I was too young, and that I should be out living my life. I was living my life, just a little bit differently than some.

"Well he or she has spent the past six weeks making me sick on as many occasions as possible, but other than that doing well I suppose. I am starting the second trimester so hopefully that will clear up soon." Jacob looked especially bored with all the pregnancy talk and started hauling boxes downstairs. I looked at my dad and smiled, glad to see him again.

They loaded up the truck and I joked and laughed with them as Charlie refused to let me carry anything heavier than a pillow. I told them about my plans and the little two bedroom rental I found halfway between forks and the reservation. They finished in almost no time since Jacob is stronger than your average human. I locked up and dropped my keys off at the office, and we hit the road. Jacob and I were following behind in my little Camry, trading stories and updating each other on all that we have missed.

We made it to my new rental safely and the boys went about setting up the bedroom first so I could lie down. I was feeling a bit drained after the car ride. I walked into my room and lay down, falling asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

**_I'm running. I'm trying to escape the faceless hoard chasing me through unfamiliar terrain. I am completely lost in the tangle of the forest. There is very little light filtering through the foliage, but I might be able to climb the tree up ahead. I reach above myself and pull with all my might. I perch on top of the branch and look down to spot my attackers… I feel myself begin to fall._**

I woke with a start. Jake charged into the room looking around wildly for the source of my distress. "What is it? What happened Bells?" He walked over to sit on my bed and put his arms around me.

"Nothing I just had a bad dream, you know how emotional pregnant women are." I laughed half-heartedly. He just held me against his chest, rocking gently to help calm me down.

"Hey Bells you know I am here for you no matter what. I don't care if it's just to run down to the store once the cravings start." I chuckled at his joke and felt more hopeful than I had in the past month. We stayed loosely in each other's arms until I pulled back to look at Jake.

"Where's Charlie?" I asked quietly.

"He left about 30 minutes ago. We finished up in the living room and he went to the Clearwater's. How are you feeling? Are you about ready for some food? Emily and Sam want to see you and she said dinner would be ready in about half an hour." He stood up and walked over to my nightstand, looking at a picture taken of the pack surrounding me from years ago.

"Yeah that sounds awesome, let me take a quick shower and throw on some clothes." I hurried to get everything I needed, and made my way to the bathroom.

I relaxed as the warm water fell steadily on my upturned face. It was one of the few pleasures that I had left, due to feeling sick most of the time. I washed my hair quickly with my strawberry shampoo, and stepped out of the bath. I dried and put clothes on quickly.

"Wow, looking good Miss Swan!" Jacob wolf whistled as I entered the living room. I glared at him and started for the door without saying a word. He caught up quickly and offered to drive. He had left his car here on the way out of town so I slid into the passenger's seat and relaxed as he babbled on about working at the body shop on the reservation. He was a natural with engines and he got a two year degree in engine maintenance so that he could work on cars full time. It really seemed to agree with him if his smile was anything to go by.

We pulled slowly into the driveway that was so familiar to both of us. I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness. Sam and Emily were such a big part of my life, if it weren't for their kindness and hospitality I never would have made it out of my despair. As we got out of the car the front door opened and Emily came running out to meet me. She and I had become best friends and she was the person I first called after Eric left me. She was glowing and looking like she was ready to pop. She was already 8 months pregnant and I was so happy to be back in time to see her before she gave birth to her son.

We hugged tightly and squeezed, glad to be back together again. I smile brightly and rambled on "how are you doing? You look like you are about ready to pop! You look so fantastic."

"Oh Bella, I'm doing wonderful! I am so glad you are home. Forks just isn't the same without you. Don't you ever plan on leaving us for 4 years again. I just won't be able to take it." She practically squealed in her excitement. We pulled apart and walked slowly toward the front door. As soon as we walked in I smelled the wonderful aroma of fresh baked bread.

Sam walked over and hugged me briefly before asking me "do you want chicken or steak? I'm about to throw them on the grill."

"Oh chicken please, I can't handle red meat right now" I answered before he and Jacob went to fire up the grill. I looked at Emily and we began to talk about the different symptoms and how soon the morning sickness would be gone.

"In two or three weeks you won't feel nauseous anymore. That's when the cravings start. Trust me." She deadpanned, before cracking up and holding her stomach as she laughed. It felt so good to be home. We set the table as the boys finished the meat. I tossed a salad and we set the bread and some butter on the table. We sat down and enjoyed our meal without much talking. The meal was beginning to wind down when I started to feel everyone's eyes on me.

"What is it? Do I have food on me or something?" I asked while looking down at my shirt.

"No Bella, there's something we need to tell you about. We didn't want you to hear it from anyone else, and we wouldn't have kept it from you except that it didn't seem important until now." Jacob glanced nervously to Sam.

"Bella some of the Cullen's moved back in a few months ago." Sam looked at me with concern evident in his eyes. I felt as though I had been punched in the gut. I couldn't draw any air in and I began to hyperventilate. I put my head between my knees and breathed deeply for a few minutes.

"What do you mean "some" of the Cullen's moved back in?" My mind raced wildly, as I tried to sort through the tangle of emotions filling my chest. I felt as though someone had pulled the rug out from under me. That certainly wasn't what I was expecting to hear that night.

"Well Bella, Carlisle and Esme came back in May, along with Jasper. Carlisle began working at the hospital again. Before any of them came back they called us and we had a meeting. Edward and Alice left the family to join the Denali's up in Alaska, as a couple. Carlisle came to us to ask if he and the rest of the family could move back for a while. We thought you would be staying in Portland and so we agreed. Rosalie and Emmett were on a Honeymoon or a Safari at the time they moved back, but they have since come back as well." He looked as crestfallen as I felt. The room sat in a palpable silence as they waited for me to respond.


	2. Settling in

**A/N: Okay Chapter 3 is written so I am posting chapter 2. That is how I will be doing it from now on. As soon as the next chapter is finished I will put a chapter up, that way I can read over the previous chapter once more before I post it. (It makes more sense in my head I swear....) I am glad to see people like this story so far. Chapter 3 is where things start to get interesting, so I will try to have it up as soon as possible. I had to get some of this back story out of the way first...you know how it is. Once again I do not hava a beta, any mistakes are my own, and I hope you aren't too very hard on me for them. Critiscim is always welcomed, however flamers will be kicked to the curb. Chocolate covered cherries to anyone who leaves a review.**

**P.S. I went back through this and changed the tense on my own, to help with the flow. Any tense mistakes are my own, and starting next chapter the wonderful Jasper's Darlin Kathy started to read over my work before I published. I am finally figuring some of these features out, so that hopefully it will be easier to read author notes from now on.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but wish Jasper were mine.**

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Surprise of a lifetime 2

~~Bella's POV~~

"So everyone but Alice and Eh…Edward are back?" I managed to grit out in a calmer tone than I would have thought possible. I was still trying to work it out in my head that Alice and Edward were a couple. I am sure that I looked totally shocked and confused.

"Honest Bells I would have told you sooner if I had any idea that you would be coming home. I know you are probably mad at me, but you have to believe that I didn't mean to hurt you." Jacob couldn't have looked more earnest if he tried. It touched me how concerned he was for me. I worked through any anger I might have been feeling to assure him that I wasn't mad at him.

"Jake, I know you didn't keep this from me to hurt me. You did it to save me from hurt. You are always trying to do what's best for me." I got up and walked over to him. I put my arm around his shoulders and squeezed to let him know how much I cared about him. "I just don't know why Alice lied to the family about Jasper being her mate. I don't know why she lied to me. If she wanted Edward she should have just been honest about it. I guess I'm more confused and sad than angry. I really did get over Edward ages ago, as soon as I realized I didn't really love him but was infatuated." I shrugged and looked over to Sam and Emily.

"Now that is out of the way, who wants desert?" Emily diffused any leftover tension by getting up and bringing a chocolate pie to the table. It looked absolutely divine, and for the first time in a while I craved a food. Things were looking up despite the alarming news I had just received. However I had spent more than my fair share mourning Edward, I just wouldn't do it anymore.

"That is exactly what I want right now. Chocolate sounds perfect. Do you need me to get anything?" I walked from my position behind Jacob to get milk to go along with the pie. We spent the rest of the night catching up on everything that had happened in the past few months. They talked about having a birthday party for me with the pack and Charlie. I laughed often and deeply as I heard of the pack's recent shenanigans. They behaved like some of the frat guys I used to know, pulling pranks, and fighting with each other. The camaraderie was really what got me though; they loved each other as though they were brothers.

The night passed quickly and without realizing it I began to yawn and nod off as the boys wound down. Jacob spoke up and began gathering his keys and wallet. "You ready to leave Bella? You look wiped out."

"Yeah, I am about to pass out. Next week we will have dinner at my place, okay? Emily you will have to get me the recipe for that pie. It was amazing." I stood and made my way toward the door. After final hugs and goodbyes we got into the car and made our way back to my new place. I was unsure of how I would take to living alone in a new place. When Eric left I was still living in the same place I had been for 2 years, I felt safe in my apartment with a guard at the entrance. I would be truly alone without neighbors who shared a wall. Jacob walked me to the front door and did his best puppy expression.

"I guess I'll see you soon. You know you can call my cell anytime. It's just a quick drive or run down here." He shuffled his feet and shifted his eyes to my face. I had forgotten this unsure and shy side to my best friend. It made my heart smile to see him so vulnerable in front of me.

"You can stay for a little while if you want. I don't know where all the dishes are but I usually drink a cup of tea before bed. It will be like old times." I tried my best to reassure not only him, but myself as well. I decided to ask. "Do you mind staying tonight? First night in a new place and all. I'm a little worried."

"Sure Bells, yeah that makes sense. I wouldn't want you to have another bad dream and be scared in your new place." He ran his knuckles across my hair in a teasing manner, clearly glad to feel useful. I unlocked the door and stepped inside with Jacob following me into the living room. He padded into the kitchen and pulled down two mugs. He seemed so at ease in the small space that I just watched as he brought together two perfect cups of tea. I grinned as he looked at me funny. "What? Did I make it wrong? It is still two sugars and light cream, right?"

"Yeah, it's just odd to see you move as gracefully as you do. I still remember when you were following me around like a lost dog." I picked at him playfully. He didn't look too amused as he made himself comfortable next to me on the couch. We spent another half hour reacquainting ourselves with each other. It seemed so natural to hang out with him again. Like picking up a chess game you left off just minutes ago.

I began to seriously start to fall asleep and I set Jacob up with a blanket and a few pillows before making my way into my room. I climbed into my bed and allowed myself to cry. I cried for all the lies I had been told, the harsh truth that broke my heart. I cried most of all because I lost another family. Carlisle and Esme had never been anything but kind to me, and Emmett had always treated me like his kid sister. Rosalie hadn't been that great, but she wasn't awful. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about Jasper. When we were holed up in the hotel in Arizona I had learned so much about him. I had never been mad at him for attacking. I knew his control had always been the weakest, but for so long I was angry that his actions had taken Edward from me. Now I knew that Edward had never been mine to begin with.

I turned the events over and over again in my mind and kept coming up short when it came to Alice. Why did she even go into that diner and bring Jasper to the family if he wasn't her mate? How had he been dealing with all of this? I could feel myself starting to develop a headache. I wouldn't find the answers to my questions lying in bed near midnight. I allowed my exhaustion to overcome me and I slid into sleep quickly.

I woke to watery sunlight filtering through my window. I smelled bacon and eggs wafting under my door. I forced myself out of bed and into the kitchen, where Jacob was looking entirely too chipper this early in the morning. "What are you doing up so early making breakfast? It should be a crime to be up this early." I glanced quickly at the clock to ascertain if it is indeed early. I was not off in my feeling; it was only just 6:30. I groaned quietly to myself, and started fixing decaf coffee.

"Good morning to you too! Some of us have to be at work today and can't afford to spend our entire day in bed." He called over his shoulder to me without even bothering to look up. I sighed and sat down at the bar. I was glad he spent the night because I had an interview at the high school at 8:00. The school year started in a few weeks and they were looking for a long term substitute English teacher for a woman who was on maternity leave for the first semester. It would work out well as I would be needing the second semester off for the same reason. I was hoping that next year there would be a permanent position open, but that was my best option. I hoped that the principle would understand and be willing to take a chance on me.

Jacob was just pulling the biscuits out of the oven when I looked up, and laughed out loud. "What are you laughing at Isabella Swan?" Jacob asked in mock seriousness.

"Have you seen yourself lately? When did you become so domestic? And where in the hell did you get all of the groceries? I only had the tea, sugar and creamer. I thought I would go shopping this afternoon." I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. He tried to shrug off the questions but I pinned him with my stare and raised an eyebrow. "Jake you got some splaining to do!" I said in my best Lucy Ricardo imitation

He cracked up and looked at me with an eye roll. "I wake up at 5:30 every morning alarm clock or no, since I was up and saw that you didn't have any food I went to the gas station and just picked up some basics. I've become quite useful since you left." He twirled around and did a 'voila' motion with his arms before bowing gracefully. I was shocked; my Jacob was all grown up. I felt like I had missed too much. I was gone too long.

I began to eat with gusto and was amazed at how hungry I was. Maybe the nausea was finally over and done with. I felt normal for the first time in ages. I scarfed my plate down in no time and managed to look sheepish when Jacob offered me seconds. I listened as Jacob yammered on about his plans for the day. "I can't imagine waking up at 5:30. I am going to have to get used to it though if I get this job at the school. How do you do it?" I responded to his earlier statement. It had taken me too long to process it.

Jake and I finished eating and continued joking back and forth as we washed the dishes. He gathered the blankets from the couch and put them back into the closet. He tossed a pillow at me and told me that he was going to head home. I followed him to the door and promised to call him later and tell him how everything went. I walked to my room and made my bed. I took a long hot shower and it helped to ease some of the tension in my shoulders and neck.

I allowed my thoughts to wander. They seemed to keep coming back to the Cullen's. I won't be able to avoid them forever and I thought about how my first encounter might happen. Would I run into one of them at the store? Would I end up with Carlisle as my doctor during delivery? In a town as small as forks it was somewhat likely that he would be on call when I went into labor. I just needed to live my life and if I happened to bump into them I would take it from there. I finished my worrying as I scrubbed my hair, working the shampoo into my scalp. I calmed myself down with thoughts of the upcoming interview, and I breathed deeply as I stepped onto the rug.

I was hopeful as I left the office at the high school, it seemed as though they had held the position for me. I had hoped somewhat selfishly, when I called two months ago, that being Charlie's daughter would help me get the job. She told me that as long as my background check came back clean that she would call to let me know when the first meeting would be held.

I called Jake from my phone on the way to the grocery store and told him my good news. I was so happy that my luck seemed to be changing for the better.


	3. Meeting Mr Whitlock

**A/N: Hello ladies! Here is chapter 3, now I want to forewarn you. The tense has been changed! My wonderful and fantastic beta Jasper's Darlin' Kathy thought it worked better in past tense and I tend to agree. Please remember to leave a comment if you like what you have read so far. Feel free to leave suggestions also. This is the chapter where Bella and Jasper meet, so things are starting to pick up. I hope you like it!**

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Surprise of a lifetime 3

~~Bella's POV~~

The next few days passed in a blur of getting my house the way I wanted it, and filling out all the paperwork for my new job. I even got my very own school badge, which was weird in a déjà vu sort of way. I finally felt like a real grown up. It's funny how it sneaks up on you unexpectedly. I could only imagine bringing a new life into the world was a part of that. I was finally thinking ahead, about where I would be a year from then.

I was excited as I drove toward my OB/GYN's office. I didn't need an appointment for another few weeks, but I needed to fill out all the paperwork to have my files sent from Portland, and schedule my first appointment. I had finally lost the morning sickness altogether and I looked forward to the next three months as I would start to show. I entered the office and took in my surroundings. It was quiet and sterile just like I was accustomed to in a doctor's office. The receptionist looked up and smiled warmly.

"Angela! Oh my gosh, I didn't know you worked here." I was shocked to see an old friend so soon after coming home, most of the people I went to school with had gone away for college and hadn't returned.

"Yeah, it was never my dream to leave home and go to college, I love it here." She looked like she wanted to say more, but bit her lip and smiled shyly. I realized that we hadn't talked in so long, that she probably wondered where we stood. I suddenly felt very guilty for not keeping in contact with her. She was as good to me as the wolf pack and it was not her fault that she wasn't in on the secret.

"I am so sorry; I have been a non-existent friend these past four years. I left Forks and never looked back. I understand if you never want to talk to me again, but I would love to have you over for dinner some time to catch up, and hang out again." I looked anywhere but her, worried about having ignored her for so long. What she must think of me!

"Oh Bella, I thought you were angry with me, and then I figured you must have just really hated Forks. I'm not mad at you. I'm just glad we have caught up now and I would love to come over for dinner some time. I see that you are here to fill out pregnancy paperwork, and that you have been assigned to PA Whitlock. He will provide all of your preliminary care and a doctor will assist in the birthing process at the hospital." She smirked up at me with a knowing glint in her eyes. I cocked an eyebrow as she handed me a clipboard and instructed me on which sections to fill out.

As I finished filling out all of the necessary questions she pulled up a chart and asked me when I would like to schedule my first appointment. My next appointment was due at the end of September so I scheduled an appointment during my two hour free period on the 28th. I turned to leave when I heard a voice that was beyond familiar telling Angela that he was leaving for the day. I swiveled slowly around and laid eyes on the first Cullen I had seen in five years.

My poor little human memory hadn't done them justice. He was breathtakingly beautiful and I felt my chest constrict painfully as I had trouble sucking in air. His eyes were pure gold and he had a sideways grin on his face as if he wasn't surprised to see me. He cocked his head to the side and I began to feel trapped in place. I knew I looked as shocked as I felt and Angela cleared her throat loudly. "Bella, you remember Jasper. He goes by his original last name now…Whitlock." She said as she rolled her eyes at me. I must have been so obvious.

"Oh, oh I see. I didn't know that you had become a PA." I stammered unintelligently. Jasper just looked on as though he knew something I didn't. I was certain he was laughing at me on the inside, as I stumbled across my words. "Are you enjoying being back in Forks?" I asked in what I hoped was a more normal tone.

"After I left I went to school in New York and I have spent the past four years working to get my Physicians Assistant's degree. It is nice to be back in Forks; this was where I felt most comfortable." He spoke slowly and looked intently at me. "I was surprised to see that I would be overseeing your care during the next 6 months, however I am glad to see you are doing well."

"Well I have to leave; I am meeting Charlie for dinner in 30 minutes. Angela I will give you a call soon. We have a lot to discuss. Jasper it was nice to see you; tell your family I said 'hello'." I gave Angela a death glare and smiled sweetly towards Jasper.

I walked out to the parking lot on shaky legs, and I sunk gratefully into my car and turned it on.

~~Jasper's POV~~

I grinned to myself as I entered my office and called Alice. "Hello Jasper. I assume you are calling me because Bella has made it to town." I could hear her excitement over the phone, even if I couldn't feel it with my power. Alice had told me a crazy story many years ago when she dragged me out of that diner she found me in. I was skeptical when she couldn't provide specific details, but she had proven herself over the years and had become my best friend and biggest fan. I was beyond happy that Edward had finally accepted the truth that Alice was his mate. The two of them were perfect for each other in their love of clothes, cars, and cold weather; however I was rather hopeful that I might soon be able to feel even a fraction of that happiness.

"Yeah, yeah you were right oh great and mighty Alice. I bow down to your awesomeness." I continued the running joke and laughed as she groaned at me. I heard Edward in the background chuckling to himself, and knew that he would be in trouble later. Our pixie may be small but she packed a mean punch. "You asked for me to call after our initial meeting to let you know how I thought she was doing. She reeks of wolf, but that was expected, and overall she seemed happy and excited. She felt guilty about not staying in contact with Angela while she was gone, but otherwise she feels good. She was beyond shocked to find out that I was going to be her PA, and we will leave it at that." I told her truthfully.

"I so hope she isn't mad at me, but I am sure we will be able to work all of that out later. Thanks for calling to give me a report on her feelings, knowing what's happened doesn't help when I don't have her feelings to put it all in context. Have a good day and tell the family I miss them and love them. Edward says to tell everyone hello, too." I hung up and left my office, locking the door behind me.

As I drove home I imagined Bella blushing as she spoke this afternoon. In the five years since I had seen her she had grown up and filled out. As surprised as I had been to hear of her pregnancy, it suited her. She looked healthy and seemed to have a glow. I had never understood that term until that day.

I hummed quietly to the radio as I pulled up our driveway. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do that night. The endless hours at night had always been the hardest part for me. Rose and Emmett spent their nights doing things as a couple. Esme and Carlisle really are parents to us and I didn't want to hang out with them all night.

I spent most nights either reading or strumming my guitar aimlessly, however I felt restless. I decided to go see a movie at the theater. I invited Rose and Emmett, but they declined as usual. The drive into town was short and I made it to the theater with about 30 minutes to spare. I got my ticket and pulled out my DS to play while I waited. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure however it occupied my hands and it was enjoyable.

I picked up a strong odor and I felt the hair on my neck begin to rise. I looked over to see Jacob Black and Bella walking into the theater. A spike of jealousy rose in me as he casually wiped nacho cheese off her chin and laughed. I had no right to feel this way. I had no claim on her, and she had just been left by some loser. Not to mention that in her state she probably had no desire for a relationship. Even though I knew this I felt a knot in the pit of my stomach. I looked at them quietly for a moment and felt more wistful than I had in years. I wished I had someone to talk to and laugh with. I wished I had someone with whom I could share moments like that.

Bella looked up at me suddenly. She said something to Jacob and he glanced in my direction before shrugging his shoulders. I felt his resistance and displeasure but surprisingly no hatred or anger. They made their way to where I was sitting and I was hit with a wave of shyness. Bella spoke up slowly, "Hey Jasper, would you mind having company?" she blushed instantly.

"I wouldn't mind, everyone else had plans tonight. I didn't want to be a 5th wheel." I answered honestly. "Hey Jacob, how are you doing?" I asked with what I hoped was an even tone.

"You can call my Jake. I'm doing fine, thanks for asking." He was no longer the angry young man I remembered and I was glad that he seemed to be okay with sitting near me. We could never be best friends, but it was nice not having to be enemies. Bella had no idea how amazing she was bringing the two of us anywhere near each other. I felt content for the first time in ages. I wished I could sit next to her all night, and bask in her emotions. She had never once been afraid of me.

~~Bella's POV~~

I sat between the vampire that once tried to eat me and a werewolf as we talked about completely mundane things while waiting for the movie to start. My life would make a great book, I thought to myself, as the lights dimmed in preparation of the movie about to start. What were the chances that I would go almost a week without running into any of the Cullen's and today I would see Jasper twice? It wasn't that I didn't want to see him….I mean them. It's just that I didn't know exactly how to act around him. I felt guilty for thinking about him as a cute guy, and yet when I left his office this afternoon that was exactly what kept coming back to my thoughts.

I needed to take a deep breath and allow myself some time. I needed time to heal and time to be alone. There was no shame in wanting to be in a relationship, but right then I needed to focus on myself and being the best parent I could be.

Jacob made an attempt to pull me from my thoughts and I felt Jasper's gaze on me as I turned to look at the screen and the lights dimmed. The theater got quiet and I was thankful that the movie was starting. I laughed at the somewhat corny comedy we had chosen, and I was surprised when I felt a cold hand brush against mine on the armrest. I looked to my left and locked eyes with Jasper.


	4. Becoming Friends

**A/N: Okay ladies...I've tried to be nice, I've tried to be sweet, but here it is...A plea. I'll even beg if that's what it takes. 48 people have added this story to their story alert and another 27 have added it to their favorite story list...and yet I only have 20 reviews. I am not going to hold out chapters or some other crap. When a chapter is done I will post it. If you like it would you mind taking a few seconds just to leave a short little comment? I would appreciate any critiscim as long as it isn't out right flames. I just want to know what you think of everything. Let me know how I'm doing. Now I return you to your regularly scheduled programming. I hope you enjoy.**

**Thanks to JaspersDarlinKathy for being a Beta, any remaining mistakes are my own fault.**

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Surprise of a Lifetime 4

~~Jasper's POV~~

I pulled my arm quickly back into my lap and turned my head to face forward. I spent the next hour and 47 minutes ignoring the tightness in my pants, and trying my best to behave as a gentleman. I had no idea what had gotten into me. I felt like a damn teenager again. Whitlock get a hold of yourself. I shook my head slightly and laughed quietly to myself. If Peter could see me he would think I had lost my ever-loving mind. Thinking about Peter helped calm me down and before I knew it, the movie was ending and the lights were coming up.

Bella looked at me with a question in her eyes and Jacob asked if I wanted to come with them to the diner for desert. I barked out a short bust of laughter and agreed to hang out with them. They both knew I wouldn't eat anything, but must have sensed that I didn't want to go home just yet.

I followed Bella down the stairs leading out of the theater, when she lost her footing and fell backwards. I caught her quickly but couldn't help what slipped out of my mouth. "Whoa there darlin' you need to watch your step. If you fall you could do some serious damage." I pulled her up slowly and looked into her eyes. I could tell she had been worried about the same thing and here I had just said it with no censor at all. "I'm sorry Bella. I know you didn't mean to fall, that's just the doctor's assistant comin out in me. I know you must be worried enough as it is without me going and goofing up like that. I hope you can forgive me." I put on my best 'awe shucks' look and hoped that she wouldn't bite my head off too badly.

"Don't beat yourself up too badly there Jasper. I know that my clumsiness is an issue; I acted like a nutcase the first trimester. I was worried about every little bump and bruise. Falling down a flight of steps would have been bad, but I'm lucky to have two faster than human companions. I'm fortunate to be back in Forks where I can surround myself with protectors." She looked up and gave me a wink. I felt my stomach drop into my shoes. Bella certainly wasn't the same girl she had been in high school. She had matured and grown into her skin. I felt like I wasn't walking on solid ground anymore. I thought I knew what I was getting myself into, but clearly I needed to get to know the woman in front of me. I needed to quit thinking I knew Bella Swan, or I might get burned.

"I don't think someone has paid me such a compliment in a long time. I'd be happy to be considered your protector." I smirked and let go of her as we continued to the front lobby. I could tell Jacob had heard every word, but his emotions were more brotherly than interested. He felt very concerned and careful more than jealous or angry. I could see that things definitely had changed.

I got lost in my own thoughts as I drove to the diner and got out. They had already gotten a table and were talking about what to order when I walked into the restaurant.

"Jake here thinks you are just hanging out with us to get out of the house. Is that so Jasper?" Bella looked at me inquisitively.

"To be honest that's part of it, I hate being the fifth wheel around my house at night. I usually end up reading or playing around on my guitar, and I guess I'm just ready to have some friends, although I haven't had to 'make' friends in over 140 years. It's hard for me to open up, so I hope you two don't mind my poor attempts at small talk." I answered a bit more sheepishly than I had originally intended.

"Aw poor Jasper wants us to be his friends, did you hear that Jake?" Bella teased.

"Ha ha. I did hear that, I'm more surprised than anything…I never thought I would see the day a vampire wanted me to be his friend. I thought pigs would fly before this day came." Jacob looked at me intently as though trying to figure out my intentions.

"Yeah, yeah make fun of the lonely guy. I see how it is. Open yourself up and they put your heart in a blender." I joked to continue to light mood.

~~Bella's POV~~

I couldn't tell how I felt about Jasper's confession. I could tell he was being honest, I just wondered why he had picked me and Jake to open up to. He must have known other people he could hang out with. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized how isolated he must be. It must be hard to make friends with people when you couldn't go into direct sunlight ever. He couldn't ever let anyone touch him either. I hadn't thought about how hard the past four years must have been on Jasper.

I made up my mind to do my best to include Jasper in things from now on. He deserved someone to talk to. He needed someone he could open up to about everything he had gone through. 140 years was a long time to be so lonely.

"Hey Jasper, I've got a birthday coming up next week. Jake and Charlie are throwing me a party at his house and I would love it if you came." I offered not knowing how he would respond.

"It sounds like it will be fun, you're turning 23 right? Is there anything I can bring?" He looked eager to please. I had never seen this side of Jasper. He was unsure of himself and a little pitiful. I couldn't help when my mothering instincts kicked in.

"Yeah, I'll be 23…getting close to a quarter of a century. You can bring some plastic cups and napkins if you want. I think we have everything else covered. I start work next Monday but classes don't start until the Monday after my birthday. Did you hear about my job at the high school? I'm going to be teaching English until the Christmas break, and then hopefully next year there will be a permanent position." It was just a little information, but I was hoping it would help him open up some.

"I hadn't heard where you would be working. Do you enjoy working with high school aged children? I can't imagine being around teenagers all of the time…oh, wait I can. I'm glad to be here a while longer as an adult before starting over as a teenager again. School is basically a breeding ground for all sorts of emotions. It can drive one a little crazy." He rolled his eyes comically and I was reminded of how little I knew Jasper.

"Oh man I hated school the first time through…how do you keep repeating the same crap over and over again?" Jake looked horrified at the thought, and I was glad he was behaving so well. Maybe the three of us were going to be able to manage this.

"It's not all that bad and every now and then us 'kids' take off on our own. I'm glad to be back here as an adult, but we will probably have to leave here for good in another couple of years." Jasper met my gaze as he said this last part.

"Do you already know where you will go next? Is it hard moving so often?" I realized I was actually very interested in his answer and I didn't know why.

I looked at his face more closely and noticed his high cheek bones, and strong jaw. He wasn't beautiful like Edward was. He was truly handsome, like David. He had the look of a warrior or cowboy. That's what he reminded me of! His little accent and his hair, now that it clicked, I took in his appearance and noticed his well worn jeans and boots. He was wearing a plaid button up shirt and looked like all he needed was a straw hat on his head and a horse to ride.

I needed to remember that he needed a friend, not someone with a crush on him. I knew that's all it had to be, just a crush, or misplaced feelings. Calm down girl.

"There are a few options, but we haven't made any decisions yet. I love being with the family, and I love that we move far less than most Vampires, but I hate never having roots anywhere." He grinned lopsidedly.

"Here are the deserts. Cheesecake and a brownie for the lady, and apple pie for the gentleman. I'm sorry did you want to order something also." She asked Jasper.

"Oh no, thank you. Bella did you order enough?" He cracked up when he looked over at Jake.

"What? I'm eating for two here, and after spending the past 3 months puking when I even thought about eating, I'm trying to make up for lost time, besides you can kiss my ass. Just because you don't eat doesn't mean the rest of us have to suffer." I looked at him pointedly and blew a raspberry.

"Seriously dude, watch out. Bella is a beast and she will turn Charlie against you if you piss her off too bad…you will end up with more speeding tickets than even your family can afford to pay off." Jake gave him a friendly punch to the shoulder, and Jasper looked like he wasn't sure how to react.

"Did you just tell me to kiss your ass? I almost ate you a few years ago and you have no problem teasing me and laughing with me? I feel like I'm in the twilight zone or something." Jasper looked like he was about to bolt, when I put my hand on his wrist.

"I'm sorry if I offended you. In my mind I forgave you years ago. I told Edward to let you know that I wasn't mad at you. I can only imagine when you are around that many others feeling that way it makes it harder to resist. I joke around with the pack. They are all like brothers to me so I don't even think about stuff like that anymore. If you don't want me to treat you that way just let me know." I gingerly let his hand fall back to the table and gave him an earnest smile.

He looked incredulous for a moment before regaining his composure, "Well, hell. Edward acted as though you were some sort of delicate flower or something. I had no idea you even cussed, much less that you had no problem shit talking. Darlin keep that up, and I might not be able to help myself."

"Oh well if you can't help yourself, how do you expect to be able to help me? Perhaps I should revoke your title of protector." I gave him a little lip, before digging into my cheesecake with a groan. "Jake you were right, this cheesecake is divine!"

"I told you they had the best cheesecake in 60 miles. You said it was what you wanted. Just call me your own personal yellow pages for the next 6 months." Jake devoured his pie before I was even halfway through my cheesecake. There was nothing quite as fun as being the only person eating at the table. Both of them were just staring at me.

"What? I know you've seen a girl eat before. Stop looking at me like I'm some kind of alien or something." I continued eating while the silence built around us. The boys began to fidget and grow restless, no wonder cops do this to people while they were interviewing. I liked it! I slowed down once I started on the brownie just to stretch it out to see who would break first.


	5. Things begin to fall in place

**A/N: Wow Ladies! Thanks so much for the reviews it seriously gave me the boost I needed to get not only this chapter done, but I have already completed chapter 6 as well. You know the drill, if you like it, please, please,please leave a review! It really does encourage me and let me know you like what I'm doing. This chapter has a little tiny bit of steam there near the end, it's just a promise of what's to come. Chapter 6 will be out in the next day or so, and it's where things start to slow down again. I hope you like it.**

**Thanks again to the wonderful and speedy beta, Jasper's Darlin Kathy.**

**P.S: I have Thursday and Friday off so after chapter 6 comes out in the next day or two, I should have chapter 7 complete at least by the end of the weekend. Who eles gets weekdays off and works on the weekend?**

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Surprise of a lifetime 5

~~Bella's POV~~

Jake broke first as I had assumed he would. With 145 years as a vampire under his belt Jasper was probably no stranger to silence. I laughed as Jasper raised his eyebrow and quirked a grin toward me. I hadn't felt butterflies like that since I was in high school, and meeting Edward for the first time. With Eric it had been primal lust in the beginning and familiarity for the three and a half years following. I had a bad history of choosing guys whose hearts belonged to someone else, or couldn't keep it in their pants.

Clearly my judgment wasn't that great and although I got the feeling Jasper was too much of a gentleman to sleep around on me, that didn't mean he was ready for a committed relationship. I had no interest in warming his bed, however appealing it might have seemed at the time. I thought of Jasper as a friend. He was a very, very sexy friend, but a friend none the less.

I spent the rest of the evening laughing and joking around with the two of them, without putting my heart into it completely. I had a niggling feeling in the pit of my stomach that I couldn't put my finger on. It caused me some unease, but being surrounded by supernatural creatures could do that to a person. As the evening was winding down, and the waitress was close to kicking us out, we all made our way toward the parking lot.

Jacob mentioned going over to Sam and Emily's for a pack meeting and I asked him if he minded dropping me off at my place first. It surprised me when Jasper walked up and offered to take me home since I was on his way. Jake gave me a look and I nodded, "That would be great, as long as it's no trouble."

"Oh it's no trouble at all; I drive right by it on my way home." Jasper glided by me to open the passenger side door.

"Thanks then, I'll see you later Jake. I hope everything goes well at the meeting." I pulled myself up into the Ford F-150, and turned to see Jasper get in with ease. "I never pegged you as a truck guy. You always seemed so 'put together' when we were in high school." I shot him a look.

"I was working a bit harder to fit in then. I'm actually less 'put together' than you might think. I would rather drive a truck and wear boots, than a Volvo and Gucci." He smirked at me then, and I knew he was teasing me.

"Ha ha. Laugh at the little human girl. I am beginning to see that you have quite the sense of humor. I never knew that about you before."

"We never actually got a chance to know each other very well back then, they kept me away from you and for good reason. When Edward was around it was very hard for me, because I felt everything he felt. His bloodlust was quite hard for me to handle. I apologize for losing control that day. I have much better control now. I spent the last 4 years surrounded by humans perfecting it." He looked thoughtful for a moment before he spoke again. "You aren't a 'little' girl anymore either." He reached over and pushed a lock of hair behind my ear.

"Jasper, I thought you might never notice. I worried that I'd be delivering and you would still see me as your brother's ex-girlfriend." I pushed at his arm teasingly.

"I never saw you as my brother's girlfriend, just Bella. I look forward to getting to know the woman in front of me." He looked so adorable with his chin down and his eyes covered by a stray lock of curly blonde hair. I was half tempted to run my fingers through it to see if it was as soft as it looked. I settled for pulling his chin up to look at me.

"Hey, don't get shy on my now. You still have to get me home, and in a few weeks you will have to be comfortable enough to do an exam." I waggled my eyebrows suggestively to try to lighten the mood. The reaction I got was almost worth any discomfort he might have been feeling. His eyebrows disappeared into his hair and his eyes looked like saucers. It was then that I realized I might have offended his sensibilities. Surely he realized he would be doing pelvic exams for the next 6 months?

"Bella, I don't perform any pelvic examinations. It's part of why I didn't continue on to get my doctorate in Obstetrics. I chose to be a PA, because I can use my power to help calm women during childbirth, and because I really enjoyed the science behind pregnancy. However, I am a bit more old-fashioned than most, and I have a female nurse perform any pelvic exams, and a doctor does the actual delivery. I attend to the women during the pregnancy, monitoring her heart rate, and contractions." He looked truly shocked that I had misinterpreted his role in my care.

~~Jasper's POV~~

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I had never even contemplated that she might assume I would take on a full provider role in her care. I sat there as she processed my reply, and felt the moment she went from panic to true glee. She began laughing like her life depended on it, and I was stumped. What was so funny about the situation? I started the car and drove on in disbelief until she quieted down.

"Oh Jasper! I hadn't realized you wouldn't be doing anything below the belt. I had been wondering if this would become awkward since we are going to be hanging out, but now I'm sure it's going to be okay. I am so glad that this won't hurt our friendship." She reached over and gave me a half hug, and slid back to the passenger side.

"I cannot believe that Angela didn't tell you that I wouldn't be doing exams. She is pretty good about letting women know that. She must have been busy thinking about other things. I can do them, I am trained and have actually performed a few doctor assisted births, however, I prefer to allow a woman to do that. I like my patients to feel as comfortable as possible." I ran my fingers through my hair without thought and gave a low whistle.

"Oh, well that makes sense; many women do prefer having a woman ob/gyn I have just never been bothered by it. It's a job; I don't imagine you would do anything untoward. You are too much of a gentleman for that." She smiled at me and I felt her happiness pressing against me. It was amazing how at ease she was. She made me feel normal; as though I was just another friend.

We spent the rest of the ride in comfortable silence. We arrived at her place and I jumped out to help her down from the truck. I helped her down with a hand on her lower back and even though I intended to remove it her warmth invaded my cold fingers and I couldn't bring myself to do so. She was ensnaring my senses. Her scent was soft and sweet, and the thrum of her contentedness lulled me into peaceful oblivion. I wanted to bask in her, breathe her in.

It was then that I knew I was in way over my head. I had no Idea how to woo her. She had grown and become self-confident. She was sarcastic and witty, and God help me, too pretty for me to ignore. I had thought I would be able to go slowly. I had thought I was in control of myself. As I walked her to the door that night I knew one thing, I was lost to Bella Swan and I couldn't bring myself to care.

I looked at my feet as I shuffled along slowly. I didn't want the night to end. All too soon we were at her door. She looked at me and I felt some apprehension, and indecision. I tried to pull myself away and yet I felt myself leaning toward her and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Thanks for including me tonight. I appreciate it. I hope you have a good night. Let me know about what time the party is, and if there is anything else I can do. Remember that I'm up at all hours and only a phone call away. I can be here in just a few minutes if you need anything." I had to step away from her before I did something stupid like try to taste her through her lips. As it was, I couldn't help but run my hand down her arm and squeeze her hand softly.

"You could come in for a little while if you wanted to. I always drink tea before bed." She looked almost hopeful and I wasn't sure how to respond.

"Darlin' I'm not sure that's such a good idea. I'll be honest in sayin' that I want to be more than a friend, but I'm not sure how to go about that. I find you attractive, and I know you are in a difficult position. I'm tryin' to be a gentleman and I think that means I need to go at your pace. If friendship is all you want from me right now, maybe I shouldn't come in." I had to be honest; I had to tell her how I felt about her.

~~Bella's POV~~

Holy shit, talk about dropping a bomb on someone. We hadn't seen each other in almost 5 years and he tells me that he's attracted to me and wants to be more than friends. I felt my jaw drop and I opened the door and waved him in. He followed behind me quietly and I pointed toward the couch as I went to fix myself a cup of tea. We needed to talk if just to clear the air, and help me understand.

"What do you mean you want to be more than friends with me?" I asked, nearly 15 minutes later. I was sitting across from him on my recliner with my feet tucked up underneath me. He was leaning forward with his face in his hands waiting for me to speak. I hadn't said a word since we walked in, opting instead to fix my tea and calm down for a little while before speaking.

"I am clearly fantastic at explaining things. I know we haven't seen each other in years. I know we just met again today. I can't explain it. It doesn't make sense even to me. I wasn't looking for you Bella, but now that you're back in my life, I want to know everything. I want to be here for you. If what you need from me is friendship then I can do that. I can be whatever you need from me until you are ready to be with someone again. I don't expect you to rush into something with me. I just wanted to let you know upfront that when you are ready, so am I. I didn't want to pretend that all I wanted was friendship. I couldn't risk some other guy trying first. I don't want you to think I'm pushy, I just worried if I didn't tell you now you might only see me as a friend." He blurted it out so quickly that it felt like he had wanted to say it all night.

I needed a minute so I got up and fixed another cup of tea. I thought about his words. I thought about the vampire sitting in my living room. I tried to be objective. I couldn't deny that I found him insanely attractive. I couldn't deny that I felt safe and secure when he helped me out of the truck earlier. I remembered the jolt of electricity when our hands touched in the movie theater, and I shivered. I could still feel the imprint from the kiss he had dropped on my forehead not a half hour earlier.

I was ashamed at the warmth that flooded my cheeks, and the sharp zing of desire that I felt through my core. Even though I was conflicted my body definitely wasn't. I thought of his soft spoken demeanor, his quiet admission of loneliness. I could tell that he wasn't careless with feelings. I wasn't ready for any kind of relationship, but he wasn't asking for one. He just wanted me to know that when I was ready, he was there. It was actually a turn on, to think of a day when I could call him and tell him I was ready to have him as more than a friend. I felt myself get moist just thinking about Jasper naked in my bed. I had to put a few ice cubes in my tea to try to cool myself down before responding in a very unladylike way.

"I think I can handle that. Right now being friends is good, maybe in the future it will be something more." He cocked an eyebrow at my response and I felt my cheeks burn. He slowly pulled himself to a standing position and stalked over to me.

"Darlin' if you get any hotter the house might burn down. Is there anything I can do to help with that?" He looked like the cat that ate the canary.

"Hot flashes are one of the worst problems I've been having recently." I replied somewhat smoothly.

"Oh, is that what it's called these days? I thought it was something a bit more basic." He grinned cockily as he stepped right up next to me.

"Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea for you to come in, if we want to just be friends after all." I conceded without backing up.

"You may just be right about that, however I've wanted to do one little thing all night." I felt my heart pound as he leaned until he was a breath away from me. I closed my eyes involuntarily. I breathed deeply and smelled pine, and earth. I nearly moaned as I felt his fingers ghost across my neck and reach into my hair.

It was agonizing as I waited for him to close the centimeters separating us. I was tired of waiting and I was too turned on to care what he thought of me, as I moved both hands to his face and pulled him down to my lips. I wanted to say I kept some composure, but as soon as his lips touched mine I lost all sense. His lips were like ice against my burning hot ones. I wanted to feel them everywhere. As I felt his tongue slid gently across my bottom lip I did moan and fell into his arms. The kiss set me on fire from my head to my toes. I felt as though I would spontaneously combust if he touched me in any way.

As soon as it started it was over. Jasper had pulled back and was smiling lazily. His eyelids were half closed and he brought his fingers to his lips. He looked at me, and I felt his desire pushing against me as though it were a real thing.

"Bella, I'll wait as long as it takes for even the hope of one more kiss like that. I'll be the best damn friend possible, as long as you tell me I've got a chance." He looked like he was sobering up, but I couldn't resist one last kiss before he left. I reached up on tippy toes, and swept my lips against his as my arms wrapped around his waist.

As the kiss deepened into something sizzling, and our tongues danced with each other, I wrapped my arms around his back and pulled myself against him. I felt him hard and long against my stomach and I wasn't sure I wanted it to end after all. I slowly pulled away, and knew that if we didn't stop we might both have regrets later on.

"I'd say that after that you've got more than a chance at a repeat performance. If you want to get to know each other better we could hang out sometime this week after work. I've got a few board games and some card games that we could play." I knew that the fire burning in my stomach wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. I only hoped that we could decide if we liked each other before it consumed us both.

"I don't care if you want to play old maid, if it means I get to be with you I am up for anything." He tipped his head back and looked at me sideways, as if weighing the pros and cons. "Although next time we hang out we may want to invite some other people, or meet somewhere outside."

"Alright, well here's my number, why don't you call me sometime." I wrote my number down and handed it to him.

"You should have my number as well, just in case anything happens. This is my cell phone number and here is the house number, along with Carlisle's cell phone number just in case. Feel free to call at anytime. Maybe you could come over to the house for a movie night soon." He was adorable as he walked toward the door. I followed behind him, and couldn't help but admire the way his ass fit into his jeans.

"I guess I'll talk to you soon. I hope you have a good night." I leaned against the doorframe as he turned back to me.

"It's already been a better night than I could have hoped for. I hope you sleep well." He gently kissed my forehead once again, and walked out to his truck.


	6. The drive home

**A/N: In my world Edward never comes back…in case you don't fully comprehend that it means that in my world the pack is still just Sam, Paul, Jared, Embry and Jacob. We also have not gotten the back story on how Alice and Jasper met. I am changing their initial conversation to meet the needs of this story. In case you hadn't noticed this isn't a cannon story, and I'm taking a few liberties. If you don't like it, press the little X up there in the corner.**

**P.S: Chapter 6 is mostly backstory, so let me know what you think about it, please. I was also wondering, do you guys prefer these short chapters fairly regularly or would you prefer longer chapters less often? I usually write around two thousand words unless a chapter need more to feel rounded, Last chapter was a little over 3,000 and this one is closer to 2,500, however if you wanted I could string them all together and just release them once a week or so if that would be better, Just let me know.**

**P.P.S: I posted a Jasper/Bella oneshot earlier today, go over and leave it some love if you like it.**

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Surprise of a Lifetime 6

~~Bella's POV~~

I slid boneless to the ground after I shut the door. I had just kissed Jasper! I wanted very much for him to knock on the door and take me right then and there; however I knew rationally that it would be better if we went slowly. I had fallen into bed with Eric and spent three and a half years with him, because I thought I was in love. It was only after he left and I realized that I was more relieved than anything that I knew I had never loved him at all. I had enjoyed his company and we were comfortable together, but I was not in love with him. It also turned out that I didn't know him very well. In fact some of the things I found out after he left, led me to believe I had never known him.

I was bringing a child into this world. I needed to think with a clear head, and not jump right into another relationship just because I found him incredibly hot. I needed to get to know him, and decide if we could make this work. I needed to figure out if I wanted to spend the rest of my life with someone. I didn't think I should just start dating once my baby was born. I needed to be in a committed relationship where we planned to be with each other forever.

Those thoughts were far too heavy so soon after seeing Jasper again. The entire day felt like a lifetime. I had gone from happy with my life and everything to wondering about getting into a serious relationship with another Cullen/Whitlock or whatever. I needed some Advil and a hot shower, and then I needed to get into bed.

~~Jasper's POV~~

I could not believe how much I wanted to turn back around and ravage Bella there in her living room, and only Alice's voice in my head kept me from doing just that. I bet she was boiling mad at me for mucking things up so greatly in only a few short hours. How had I gone from joking around in the diner with Bella and Jake to practically assaulting her in her living room? I had no excuse for my behavior except for the fact that it had been years since I had been with a woman. I wasn't a one night stand kind of guy and I rarely, if ever dated. There had been a few women over the years however they were few and far between. I hadn't had the control to be with a human so I had only been with a few vampires during my time as one.

As soon as I had felt Bella's lust from the kitchen I couldn't help myself. I had tried so hard to resist, even pulling back at the last second only to have her lean up and kiss me. When I felt her lips against mine I had been totally lost, she could have asked me for anything and I would have been to hell and back to get it for her. Her lips were like warm, moist, pillows. They were so soft and sweet, I felt as though I could have died. I needed to quit thinking about it or I was going to have to take care of the situation in my pants before I got home.

I thought about everything I could think of to calm down. It was no use. I was too worked up. I parked on the side of the road and dug the number she had given me out of my pocket. I dialed the number and waited nervously as the phone on the other side rang. I had almost given up when she picked up the phone on the fifth ring.

"Hello," she sounded breathless.

"Hey Bella it's me, Jasper. I called to see if you minded talking to me for a little while?" I asked, wondering if she would think me a fool.

"I don't mind talking for a bit. I was in the shower, but I'm not feeling very tired so I was planning on reading a book for a while."

"Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt anything. I just wanted to talk for a little while. I'm sure you are tired. It's almost 11:30, I know you mentioned needing to get used to going to bed sooner. I'll just go, and we can talk tomorrow." I felt bad for calling her so late, even though I had just left her house not 15 minutes ago.

"Don't be silly, I actually have trouble sleeping these days anyway so it's nice to hear your voice."

"You have trouble sleeping? Why is that?" I was curious about the answer.

"I've been having nightmares. It doesn't make any sense, but they always seem to keep me up the rest of the night afterward."

"That's not uncommon during pregnancy. Have you attempted any breathing techniques, or trying to clear your mind before going to bed?"

"I have, however I haven't had much success. The biggest problem is being able to calm down afterwards, and settle back down into bed."

"I'm sorry to hear that, is there anything that helps?" I hoped that there might be something I could do for her.

"Actually there is something that helps, but it's embarrassing. I couldn't possibly tell you." She whispered the last part so quietly I almost couldn't make it out.

"You don't have to be embarrassed. I won't make fun of you. I promise."

"If I have another person sleep in the house with me it doesn't happen. It only started after Eric left, and the night I moved into my new place Jake slept on the couch and I slept fine. I only have the dreams when I'm alone. It's so silly, but I can't seem to get over it."

"I wish there was something I could do, but I doubt you would want me just to come hang out in your house while you slept, that might make them worse." I sighed heavily because I wanted to make everything better for her. Bella deserved to get a good night sleep.

"Well actually if you wanted to, I wouldn't mind having you just come over and talk to me. Maybe just having someone here while I'm falling asleep will help. If you don't want to that's totally fine. I understand that it's a weird request, and we've just started hanging out, and it might be too much too soon."

"No, don't be silly. I said I would do whatever you needed. I just want you to know that you can trust me. You can trust me to keep your secrets, and be there when you fall. I pulled over to call you, so I'll be there in a few minutes." I closed my phone as she hung up, and turned the truck around. I hoped that she would feel at ease and be able to talk to me, without feeling awkward about earlier.

I was kicking myself as I arrived for being such an idiot earlier. She didn't need me sending her such mixed signals. I needed to be a friend. I needed to be a shoulder to cry on, and I needed to keep my paws to myself. I reminded myself of that as I walked up to the door. Bella answered it wearing a sleep shirt and shorts. I was proud of myself for not looking at her too closely and for maintaining eye contact as she asked me in.

"Do you want to lie down on the couch or do you have a chair in your room I could sit in?" I asked as she wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, and wandered into the kitchen. Her wet hair fell across her shoulders and the scent of strawberries filled the air.

"I have a chair in my room; I'm just going to fix a glass of water first." She filled a glass and then beckoned me into her room. I followed slowly behind her, wondering if I would have the willpower to be the friend she needed.

"Alright you get comfortable and then tell me what you want to talk about." I moved the chair closer to her side of the bed and sat down. She looked beautiful as she lay there with shadows and light playing on her face.

"Why don't you tell me about the college you went to?" She smiled and closed her eyes.

I told her about Brown University in Rhode Island and some of the things I had done to prevent people from finding out about me. I told her about having to eat food in front of people and having to go to Vermont and New Hampshire to hunt. I laughed with her as I told her about Emmett coming to visit and the trouble he had gotten into with Rosie for checking out the co-eds. I told her how much I had missed Forks. How I had been hoping that we would be able to come back. I didn't tell her that I had been hoping to see her again. I didn't tell her about how absolutely focused I had been on trying to learn how to shut down my bloodlust. I didn't mention that I'd had to surround myself with humans to desensitize myself to the smell, resulting in endless trips to the mall, and bookstores.

I looked up and she was asleep. I rose quietly from my chair, and made my way back out to my truck. Tonight had been a good night. I had made a few mistakes along the way, but I truly cared for Bella, more than I could have thought possible after such a short time. I wondered if it was because of what Alice had told me. It was as if thinking about her was some kind of magic because I felt my phone vibrate.

"Hello, Alice. What are you calling about?" I tried to be nonchalant.

"Hello brother dearest. How has your night gone?" I could tell she was leading up to an attack.

"Oh you know, I went to a movie, hung out with Bella and Jake, and drove Bella home. Now I'm on my way home." I stated.

"Oh really? Is that all you did tonight?" I could tell she was really seething, and I tried to placate her some.

"Look I know I screwed things up, I had forgotten how intense these feelings were though. How could you stand to be around Edward while he was still in denial? How could you stand to watch him with her? I spent most of my time in those days, being anywhere but home. Just the thought of her with someone else had me confessing how I felt today. When she invited me in I had no idea she would bombard me with a wave of lust so strong that I couldn't help but give into one tiny desire. I kissed her, well technically she kissed me both times, and I just reciprocated. I know I need to go slowly, that she just got out of a relationship, and is pregnant for fuck's sake. I just needed to taste her. I needed to be close to her once before I showed her how I could be a good guy." I nearly pleaded with her, this was so hard.

How had she done this for more than half a decade? It had been hard enough living through Edward's bloodlust for her, I had nearly gone mad. It was only after my almost killing her, that he realized that she was only his singer and nothing more. He had realized Alice was his mate shortly after that, and they had both been infinitely happy ever since. Everyone always seems to think that when you meet your mate it's just like a fairytale. Sometimes that isn't the case though. If you aren't ready for it, it doesn't affect you.

"I know Jasper, I'm sorry. I just want her to be okay. I just want all of this to work out for you. I always knew that it would work out for me eventually. I had all of the time in the world to wait for Edward to come around, and besides I had already seen it, so I knew it would happen. You on the other hand could ruin this. Bella is still a human, which means that if this doesn't work out and she leaves, you may never get a chance at forever with her. You have to do this right." Pixie pleaded back with me and I knew how much this meant to both of us. She already had her happily ever after; we were just trying to secure mine. She was the best friend a person could ask for. She was like my big sister even though I was older and taller than her. She was always trying to do what was best for me.

"I know you do. Hell it's what I want more than anything. I just have to go slow and take my time. I need to prove the way I feel about her, instead of scaring her off with this crazy story." I laughed at the thought of telling anyone about Pixie's vision all those years ago.

"I believe you. Now go home, take a cold shower and start making some plans." She hung up without even waiting for me to say goodbye, and I laughed quietly to myself.

I drove home without doing much thinking. I needed to take a break from running scenarios in my head. As someone who had survived the newborn wars I was always strategizing everything, playing conversations out in my head to see how people might react to different things, however today I had learned that Bella was unpredictable. I made it safely home and spent the rest of my night trying to get that kiss out of my mind, and failing miserably.


	7. Meeting the family again

**A/N: Thank you to my Wonderful Beta Jasper's Darlin' Kathy If you haven't read her work, go check out her page. Thanks guys for helping me break 100 story alerts....now if only we could break 100 in the reviews that would be awesome! Chapter 8 is under way and should be up sometime by Wednesday. Thanks for all the reviews, they really do let me know that you like what I've got so far and I hope you will continue to enjoy what I've got for you.**

**P.S. I don't own them, but wish Jasper were mine.**

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Surprise of a lifetime 7

~~Bella's POV~~

I woke up the next morning feeling well rested and oddly, lonely. I stretched slowly and looked around my room feeling as though something was missing. I looked over and saw my chair pulled closer to the bed, and remembered the night before. I couldn't believe that in such a short time I had let Jasper into my life, had him confessing feelings for me, kissed him, and asked him to talk me to sleep. I felt as though things were moving too fast, and yet I couldn't bring myself to feel shame for wanting him.

The more I thought about it the more I realized very few of my questions had been answered. I pulled my phone down off of the nightstand and sent a quick text to Jake to see how the meeting had gone.

**How was the meeting?**

_**Fine, I told them about the truce with Jazz. Hope you don't mind**_

**Nah, I figured they would find out sooner or l8er**

_**Yea, what are ur plans for today?**_

**Nothing, what are you up to?**

_**Football with the pack, you wanna watch?**_

**Haha, I'll see. TTYL**

_**Okay, just call me if you want to.**_

I rose from bed, and made my way into the kitchen. I started a pot of decaf and began to fix a bowl of cereal when I heard my phone beep. I figured Jake must have sent me another text and I was in the middle of pouring so I finished getting everything ready before making my way back into the living room. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Jasper had sent me a text.

**I know guys are supposed to wait 2 days before they call, but do friends have that same rule?**

_**Haha I wasn't aware there was a rule…**_

**Well then I guess I'm safe huh?**

_**I guess you are safe.**_

**Well not entirely, the pixie gave me a dressing down on my way home last night.**

_**Oh…How is she doing?**_

**She is doing well, she misses you a lot.**

_**Really? She never called me or anything**_

**Yeah, she didn't want to mess anything up.**

_**What does that even mean?**_

**I can't exactly tell you…she made me swear. But she was mad at me for kissing you.**

_**Why was she mad about that? Not any of her business who you kiss…lol**_

**True, I think she felt I was pressuring you. What are you doing today?**

_**So far, not much. Just eating breakfast.**_

**Want to come over later?**

_**And do what?**_

**I hadn't thought it through yet…I just wanted to see you. That sounds desperate doesn't it?**

_**Well, maybe a little but it's okay. I'll forgive you this time.**_

**Carlisle has today off so I think the family was planning on a movie marathon or something.**

_**The whole family will be there? Including Rosalie and Emmett?**_

**Yeah, so does that mean you want to come?**

_**Yeah I'd love to, how is everyone doing?**_

**They are doing well, looking forward to seeing you again.**

_**Okay, so what time should I come over?**_

**How about I pick you up at 3?**

_**Sure, cya then.**_

**See you then.**

My head was spinning at the thought of seeing the family I had once considered my second family. I had honestly thought that I would never again see my bear of a 'brother' again. Carlisle and Esme had been so kind to me, and yet I hadn't heard anything from them since they left Forks all those years ago. I had thought for so long that they hated me. I thought they all blamed me for having to leave Forks. I allowed myself to remember Esme's smile, and Carlisle's countless stitches and tending to. I felt a wave of unexpected sadness come over me, and I let the loss take over for only a few moments before shutting it down and locking it away again.

I was thankful that Jasper seemed to realize how much his family meant to me. Losing Edward hadn't been the hardest part of him leaving. Losing his family had been harder in the long run for me to accept. I spent the rest of my morning doing some light cleaning and laundry, it was hard to sit still and I felt restless. By 2:30 I had completed every chore in the house and changed outfits twice. I couldn't explain the giddiness I felt. I was really happy when the doorbell rang at 2:40 and I was glad to see Jasper standing at the door looking just as nervous as I felt.

"I'm a little early, I hope you don't mind. Emmett was practically bouncing off the walls and it was driving me crazy." He quirked a smile at me, and I couldn't help but melt just a bit.

"Actually that's fine; I've just been hanging out. I got everything done around the house a little while ago. What movies are we going to be watching?" I asked as I closed and locked my door.

"I think it was Emmett's turn to pick out the movies, so expect plenty of explosions, and action." He rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

"The good news is that I really like action movies, its scary movies that I can't watch." I climbed into the truck, but lost my footing and fell backwards.

"Darlin' you should probably just wait for me next time. The family would kill me if I let you get hurt." He eased me into the truck and shut the door behind me.

"Yeah, I know. Perhaps they should just revoke my license to walk and do anything else that might land me in the hospital. I swear they broke the mold when they made me." I giggled a bit at the face Jasper pulled.

~~Jasper's POV~~

Was it wrong that I looked forward to her little stumbles? I loved being able to hold her, even if it was just for a brief moment. I climbed easily into the truck and we made our way to the house. I felt her tension rise as we got closer and closer. I put my hand out and she took it and squeezed. Her breathing evened out and she allowed my calming waves to overcome her. She looked up at me and smiled. As we reached the driveway she spoke quietly.

"Can we just sit here for a second? I need a minute before I see them all again." I opened my other arm wide to invite her in for a hug, and I was shocked when she leaned in against me, and put her head on my shoulder. I wrapped both arms around her and attempted to help calm her down. I did what my mother had done when I was younger; I ran my hand up and down her back and murmured sweet nothings to her.

"It's going to be okay, they all miss you and can't wait to see you again." She looked up at me and I noticed the tears in her eyes. Her emotions didn't match what I was seeing. She felt happy and nervous, and I gently swept a tear away from her face before asking her.

"What's the matter? Do you not want to see them today?" She shook her head vehemently.

"I want to see them; I just never thought I would see any of you again. I feel like I must be dreaming and when I wake up I will be back in Portland missing all of you again." She dropped her gaze, and I felt her hope and worry.

"What if they don't like me anymore? Won't they all be upset that I'm single and pregnant? You all come from a different time, what if they all think I'm a bad person." I couldn't help but laugh at her silly worries.

"Rosalie is the one who has had the biggest change of heart; you should see the mound of stuff she has already gotten in preparation for the baby." I felt her awe and her surprise like they were tangible things.

"What? Rosalie hates me! Why would she be excited about me having a baby?" I could tell Edward hadn't really told her much about any of us, and I was glad to be the one to fill her in.

"Bella, Rosalie never hated you she just couldn't understand why you wanted to throw away your humanity and ability to have children to become one of us. It was always Rosalie's biggest wish to have a child and when she was turned she lost that. I'm afraid she may want to live vicariously through you for a bit, just let me know if it gets to be too much. She is so happy you have gotten to experience a little more life before making a decision about eternity. I don't want to say much more than that, you should ask Rosalie sometime about her change, and why she was so resentful of you." I gave her a half hug and I could feel that she was beginning to understand our family a little better.

"Oh, I never knew that. I guess maybe I should try to get to know the family better now that I am older and more able to understand some of those feelings." She smiled and I could tell she was ready to see the family. I let go of her and opened my door. I could hear the family pacing back and forth and heard Emmett trying to come out to see what was taking so long. I was thankful that Esme held her ground and told him to wait that she was probably just nervous, and that I would bring her in when she was ready.

As we walked up the front walkway, Bella's hand found mine and I felt my smile widen incredibly. I was so happy that I couldn't restrain the happiness from leaking out and invading the surrounding area. Bella glanced at me and smiled brightly. We reached the door and I opened it wide, to see the family looking like the cat that ate the canary. They really didn't do mild very well.

"Bella! I missed you so much!" Emmett came bounding across the room and picked her up to spin her around.

"Emmett! She's pregnant you doof! You may be hurting her." Rosalie reprimanded him almost instantly.

"Aw, Rose come on, I haven't seen my baby sis in forever." Emmett pouted as he put Bella on the ground, but kept an arm around her shoulders.

"Hi Emmett, I've missed you too. How has it been?" Bella asked almost sheepishly. She looked up to me, and I could tell she wanted me to move closer. I stood beside her, and Emmett took the hint to back off a bit. She reached for my hand and I gladly accepted her small warm hand in mine. The family passed around knowing looks and smiled at us. Clearly Bella thought of me as a very close friend already and it pleased me that she was so comfortable around me already.

"It's been okay, glad to be living somewhere near bears again! Has our Jasper here been a gentleman? I will kick his ass if not." Emmett looked between the two of us and Bella laughed heartily.

"Yeah he's been the perfect gentleman, although I won't even ask if you have been. I know Rosalie is tougher than she looks and works hard to keep you in line." Bella let go of my hand and gave him a light punch to his shoulder.

"Yeah, well I try my best. Sometimes even I can't perform miracles. It's nice to see you are doing so well Bella, I can't wait until you see all the gifts I've got for you!" Her eyes lit up and I could tell this was her way of apologizing to Bella for the past.

"You know I'm awful at getting gifts, but if they are for the baby I can't help but be excited, I know he or she is going to be spoiled rotten. It's nice to see you again Rosalie." Bella walked over and gave Rose a hug, and I could feel how happy Rose was that Bella accepted her.

"You will just have to get used to it, we already have a room set up and everything. We were hoping you would let us be like a second set of grandparents." Esme looked hopeful and I could tell that she was worried she would be rejected.

"Of course, there isn't anyone else out there that I would rather have as adoptive grandparents than you and Carlisle. This baby will be so loved." I could hear Bella choking up and I reached out to pat her shoulder.

"Bella, you have to understand that we didn't want you to feel like we didn't care for you anymore. We just had to let you do some growing and decide on your own that you wanted us to be in your life." Carlisle stepped forward with his arms open, and Bella fell into them sobbing.

It felt like our family was back together again. Bella was truly the soul of the family, accepting each of us as we were. When we had to leave Forks last time it had been horrible, but now that she was back we would do whatever it took to keep her with us as long as she would have us.


	8. Hanging out

**A/N: I am now back to working full time finally so we will now commence on a regular once a week update schedule, when time permits I will still update more than that, but I;m trying to keep things balanced. If you like what you read please leave a review, it makes me happy inside! Thanks again to a wonderful beta Jasper's Darlin' Kathy!**

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Surprise of a lifetime 8

~~Bella's POV~~

I felt so loved as I stood wrapped up in Carlisle's arms. The whole family had acted as though they were more devastated by having to be away from me than I was. I inhaled deeply to draw in everything I could. I was sure that the rug would be pulled out from under me at some point in the future. It seemed that every time I got too close to happiness it was yanked away from me.

I was surprised when the hug ended and Emmett walked up and put his hand against my stomach gently.

"That is so weird! I can hear two separate heartbeats, but its weird feeling them against my hand." He pulled his hand away and it was replaced by both Rosalie and Esme.

"Oh my! It is certainly a very strong heartbeat. Bella would you like to hear it?" Rosalie looked up at me with happiness evident on her face.

"How could I hear the heartbeat? My human hearing doesn't allow me that luxury. I only get to hear it at appointments." I wanted desperately to hear my baby, but didn't think it possible.

"I got you a heart rate monitor, hold on I'll be right back," She was back nearly before I'd seen her leave. "Here, we just hook this one around your belly, and look for the heart beat, and you put these on your ears." She instructed me as she set it all up.

"Oh my gosh I can hear the heart beat! Thank you Rosalie! I love it." I practically sung as I heard the healthy beat that I waited to hear at every appointment.

"Please call me Rose, everyone in the family does." She reached over and patted my head.

"Okay Rose then. Thanks for the wonderful gift, I love it." We removed the device from my stomach and made our way over to the living room, Jasper stayed close and I was thankful for that. Just having him near helped me stay calm, when I felt I might cry with happiness, at seeing everyone again. We all took our places and spent the afternoon, watching action flicks and joking around.

We all ragged on Emmett because the first movie was completely awful. He just shrugged and laughed back. We were just finishing the second movie and my stomach grumbled loudly enough for even my ears to hear. Esme and Rose jumped up and Esme exclaimed.

"We got the stuff to make you dinner, because we don't want you starving yourself." I groaned.

"Guys I'm not starving myself. I am well within the limits for my first trimester. I still have plenty of time to start looking like a whale."

"Nonsense, you need to put on a few pounds, I'm going to make chicken primavera. The recipe is supposed to be delicious." She began moving around the kitchen.

~~Jasper's POV~~

I gave Bella a look and she made a face at me, but didn't protest again. She knew how important this was to Esme. I moved my arm to the back of the couch and she unconsciously leaned closer to me. Her hair swept against my shoulder and I inhaled deeply. She smelled of berries and salt, the contrasting scents worked well for her, and I yearned to lean in and memorize the scent.

Emmett began regaling Bella with tales of his and Rosalie's most recent trip to Africa. She laughed as he explained how hard it was to take down a cheetah and some of the other animals in the Savannah. She seemed to be having a good time and I felt some of my worry release. I had been worried that she may have decided that we weren't as wonderful as she remembered after all.

"Lunch is served!" Esme called from the kitchen.

"Well I guess I'll just go eat and then we can start the next movie." Bella stood slowly from the couch stretching lightly before making her way into the dining room where the girls began chatting about the baby and all of the details.

My eyes followed her as she made her way out of the room and when I looked back both Emmett and Carlisle were staring at me.

"What? What are you looking at?" I demanded quietly.

"Just friends huh? Do you honestly expect us to believe that? You really just want to be Bella's friend? I knew something was up the moment you decided to go into Obstetrics. What have you and Alice been keeping from us son?" Carlisle asked the last part gently and I felt my head fall.

"It was hard enough telling you that we weren't actually a mated pair. I couldn't come forward with this at the time. When Alice found me all those years ago she told me a crazy story about her mate being too in denial to accept her, and that we needed to act like mates to be taken into this family. I tried to talk her out of it, I tried to tell her that we could be honest with all of you so many times over the years, but she always saw loosing Edward as the consequence of those actions. She also told me that in the course of Edward coming to terms with their bond that we would meet my mate, but that she would still be human. I knew the moment I saw Bella that she was who I was destined to be with." I looked desperate at this point because I didn't want my family to be mad at me.

"Son, you could have told us that when Edward and Alice left the family to go to Alaska after Bella's birthday party." Carlisle looked so sad on my behalf.

"You were right five years ago when you told the family that we needed to leave to give Bella some time to mature and grow before coming back. Alice had warned me that if I acted too soon that Bella wouldn't be in the right place to understand everything. I can see now that I needed this time away as much as she did. I needed time to perfect my control and become more self aware. At first when I found out that Bella was going to be pregnant I thought Alice had been wrong all this time. I see now that Bella's child has brought us all closer together. Do you think Rosalie would have ever been okay with us turning a perfectly healthy girl?"

"You're probably right, I just wish both you and Alice had been honest with us from the beginning, we love you. You could have told just me and Esme, and then we would have at least had some idea of what was going on. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for you and Alice to see Edward and Bella together. I am glad Bella is back in your life, but I hope you know you can tell us anything from now on. We won't do anything to mess this up, but she has a baby to worry about now, what are you going to do?" He had a good point and I didn't know how to answer him.

"I'm not even sure; right now I just want to be there for her. If eventually she wants more from me than I will be there for her then too. I've told all that to Bella, and I just have to go at whatever pace she is comfortable with. Emmett if you do anything to mess this up I will personally make it so that you can't enjoy your favorite extracurricular activity." I glared at him and he put up his hands in surrender.

"Hey man, don't act that way. You know I want nothing more than for both of you to be happy. I'll do whatever I can to help you out. I can see how happy she makes you already. I hope things work out for you bro'." I laughed quietly at the thought of Emmett playing matchmaker and calmly thanked both of them.

"Thanks guys, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just didn't want to do anything to jeopardize my chances with her." We all shut up quickly as we heard dishes being put away in the kitchen and managed to look nonchalant by the time the girls returned. Esme raised her eyebrow in my direction and I could feel her curiosity.

The girls all took their places again and Bella removed a blanket from the back of the couch to wrap around her legs. Emmett put in the last movie which was The Bourne Ultimatum. We all settled in and it wasn't long before Bella was leaning against my chest. I pushed the hair back from her forehead and she looked up at me with a small smile.

I felt a wave of contentment wash over me and I realized that the whole family was in agreement about Bella being a part of the family. I had never felt so much hope and joy as I did right then. I noticed that Bella was beginning to doze off and I whispered in her ear.

"Are you ready to go home? I can see how sleepy you are. I shouldn't have kept you up so late last night." I murmured gently.

"Mmm, I don't want to leave just yet. I have all day tomorrow to lie around and do nothing. If I fall asleep just wake me up when the movie is over." She melted against me and I did my best to remain as still as possible.

The movie seemed to end all too soon and as the lights were turned on I felt the whole family turn to look at Bella and I. I eased my arm from around her shoulders, and gently shook her shoulders. "Bella, Bella wake up the movie is over. I'll take you home now okay?"

"No, don't leave Jasper. Stay here." She spoke while still asleep.

"Darlin' you need to wake up so I can take you home. You can come over and hang out anytime you like, but right now you need to get into bed."

"Mmm," she moaned as she stretched. "Did I fall asleep?" She looked up at me with sleepy eyes.

"Yeah, but that's okay. No one here minds if you fall asleep. I'll take you home so you can get a good night's sleep and we will plan to do this again soon okay?" I pried myself away, worried that I might not be able to if she kept looking so adorable.

"Alright, thanks for having me over guys I really appreciate it. Rose, thanks so much for the gift. I'll call you later this week and we can hang out. Maybe you can help me with the baby's room?" Bella moved from the couch and gathered the heart rate monitor.

"I'd love to; here is my cell phone number. Feel free to call me anytime. Em and I are acting like newlyweds, so I don't have anything else going on." She gave a wide smile, and walked over to hug Bella.

"I'll be back later okay guys?" I made my way to the door as they said goodbyes and was opening the door as Bella caught up with me. We got into the car and were sitting in comfortable silence when she spoke up.

"I had a lot of fun tonight, thanks for inviting me over. I hadn't realized how much I missed everyone. Do you think Alice and Edward will come to visit anytime soon?" She looked over at me.

"They always come to see us at Christmas, so I imagine they will be coming sometime in December. I'm glad you came, everyone was so happy to see you again." I stated honestly. We spent the rest of the ride in silence. When we reached her house and pulled into the driveway she looked over at me and invited me in. I was helpless to deny her anything, so I followed her to the door way. She unlocked the door and led me in.

"So tell me about your work. Is it hard to be in the delivery room?" She asked as we sat across from each other, I didn't trust myself to sit beside her when we were alone like this.

"It's hard because the women are in so much pain, it really is the most intense pain I have ever felt except maybe when you were bit by James that one time. I do my best to help ease some of that by using my gift. It's been really rewarding. It's actually a bit of a miracle, to see life being brought into this world." I replied with ease.

We spent quite a while just talking about the past few years and how we had been brought back to Forks. I laughed when she told me about how she had never thought she would be so happy to be back. The time seemed to fly by and before I knew it the clock was saying it was almost 1:00 in the morning and Bella was yawning and nodding off. She asked me to stay until she fell asleep and I waited in the living room as she changed and got into the bed. As she lay down I continued telling her about how happy I was about being back in Forks and how glad I was to be hanging out with her again. She fell asleep and I once again crept out of the house and started my truck.

My phone rang and I glanced down. I didn't recognize the number but answered it anyway. "Hello?"

"Hey there, it's Jake I was just calling to firm up the plans for Bella's Birthday party. The guest list right now is Sam, Emily, and the rest of the pack. I was wondering if you could invite your family, I know that would make Bella really happy."

"Yeah, I can invite them. Is there anything we need to do?" I couldn't believe Jake and the pack were okay with us all being there.

"Nah I think we've got the cake and everything covered. Since you don't eat, there is no point in you bringing food…unless you really want to. Thanks for being here for Bella; I know she really missed you guys when you left. Just promise me you aren't planning on bailing on her again?" He pleaded with me.

"Jake I promise that I have spent the past 5 years trying to figure out how I could make it up to Bella, I won't be going anywhere as long as she will have me." I replied earnestly.

"I noticed that you might be interested in more than friendship from her. I think you are an okay guy Jasper and I don't think Edward was a bad guy just confused as hell. You don't strike me as the type to do something half way, so I'm sure you'll do what's right by her."

"Thanks Jake. That means a lot to me. I know that you and the pack really helped Bella out, and I appreciate that more than I can tell you. I'm glad you are willing to give me a shot, I know I don't deserve it, but I'm glad anyway." It felt good to finally get some of this off of my chest. I knew that I couldn't take back all the hurt we had caused Bella, but I hoped that we would be able to come together to make this birthday overshadow her disastrous 18th birthday.

"No problem, I can tell you want what's best for her and I understand that. I wish you luck in getting closer to her." I could tell he was being genuine and I was glad that Jake apparently felt like a brother to her instead of a love interest. I didn't want to cause any problems.

"Alright well I'll invite the family and I'm sure we will all be there its next Saturday at two right?"

"Yup, it's going to be a cookout so let's hope the weather is alright." He replied and we talked about that for a few more minutes before hanging up. I felt so much better about everything as I wound down the driveway. I pulled into my parking place and got out of my truck. I was dreading the conversation I was sure was coming as soon as I got into the house. I just knew that the family was going to give me the third degree once I walked inside.


	9. The Talk

**A/N: Okay here it is, I'm really happy with this chapter, but as always I would love to hear what you have to say. I apologize for not being up on my review replies. I swear to you that I read and love each and every review left for me. I will try to get back to each of you who have left me a review on my day off on Thursday. I am working 8 days in a row this week so I will get to them it just might take a bit of time. If you recieve a double reply....I'm sorry. I have a few stories I would like to rec for you ladies. If you aren't reading Running by Merina Green, you should go start that story now. She has woven and amazing tale and you won't be dissappointed. I am also Betaing for a story called Awake in the Dark by Kitty Cullen, go read that for some awesome Darksper and some hot kink!**

**Thanks again to the best Beta ever, JaspersDarlinKathy**

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Surprise of A lifetime 9

~~Jasper's POV~~

I was walking slower than I needed to in order to delay the inevitable, however I knew I was sunk when I saw Rose standing on the front porch tapping her foot at an impossibly fast pace. She gave me a sickly sweet smile before making her way over and jerking me up the stairs by my ear. I didn't even resist because that would just make things worse. In the living room I saw Emmett and Carlisle looking at me with guilty eyes, and shrugs. I didn't blame them. Esme and Rose could be fierce when they thought someone had kept something from them that was important. Esme and Rose had basically frozen me and Alice out when we came forward about not being mates. They had only softened when they found out about Alice's visions of Edward leaving.

I trudged in behind Rose and felt relieved when she released my ear. I stood there silently waiting to speak until they had spoken their peace. I wasn't sure how long I stood there before Esme spoke up.

"How dare you keep something like this from your mother? What were you thinking? No, don't answer that. Obviously you weren't thinking or you would have come forward with this information 5 years ago and saved me from the heartache of thinking I had lost Bella forever." She spoke quickly and then stopped and looked at Rose.

"You kept information from the family that could have affected us all long term. What if we had not chosen to move back to Forks? What if things hadn't worked out as well as they seem to be working out now? What if you had lost Bella permanently? You know we would have done whatever it took to make sure that you and her got together. We love you, we want you to be happy, but we can't help unless you keep us in the loop." She turned so that her back was to me and I waited for another few moments before I spoke up.

"I know you would have done what you thought was best, but be honest, you would have meddled. You wouldn't have been able to resist interfering. You would have been trying to get it all to work out, but it may have just made things worse. We are all where we are supposed to be now. She has grown into a beautiful and strong woman, and we have grown closer as a family during our absence." I looked at each of them in turn and Rosalie finally faced me again. I could see tears in her eyes that would never fall and I walked over to her. She gripped me tightly and whispered in my ear.

"I'm so happy for you. I want you to be as happy as Emmett and I are. I just hate seeing you alone, I'm sorry I got so angry. I know you wanted everything to work out. I remember how awful I felt when I found Emmett that day, and thought I might lose him. You are a strong guy, and I am glad to be able to call you brother." She blinked slowly a few times as she pulled away.

"Thank you for all of the concern, I hadn't realized I seemed so miserable the past few years. I assure you that I will do whatever I can to ensure that Bella is happy with me. I will need your help, I can only imagine how things will work out once she has the baby, but I know that if anyone will treat that baby right it's you two." I look pointedly at my mom and sister.

"We will do whatever you think will make her most comfortable with us being around her after the baby is born. I have volunteered with babies since being turned and it will be nice to be around a child again. I do hope Bella won't mind us watching the little one. Perhaps that would allow for you two to become closer."

"To be honest I am hoping that we will be able to move our relationship forward before then, however I will continue to let her take the lead in that area. She clearly feels comfortable with all of us already, and maybe perhaps on some level already be feeling the bond." I sighed and ran my hand through my unruly hair. To be honest there was no evidence that humans had any way of feeling the bond that was currently wreaking havoc on my senses. I hoped that she felt something for me other than friendship, but even that fiery kiss we shared didn't really mean anything. I remembered suddenly, "By the way, the family is invited to Bella's birthday party next Saturday."

I proceeded to tell them about the upcoming cookout to celebrate Bella's 23rd birthday, and how the pack would be there. We talked for a few moments about different things we could get Bella without her going nuts over presents. We decided on a group gift that would be a donation of time rather than money, however I was still planning on getting her something small that would be just from me. I walked upstairs and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The family has always been so kind to me, even when I screw up and it felt good to have everything off of my chest for the first time in many years.

I couldn't say what I did the rest of the night, because I spent most of my time just thinking about how I wanted to see Bella.

~~Bella's POV~~

I woke with the weak sun filtering through my window. I stretched and rolled over before thinking that something wasn't quite right. My door was cracked slightly and I realized that Jasper must not have shut it completely before leaving the night before. I placed my feet on the floor and stood slowly allowing myself to gain my balance before making my way into the kitchen to start coffee and getting into the bathroom. I looked at myself closely in the mirror to discern any changes in my appearance. I still looked the same. For some reason I felt changed.

I thought over the past few days and how quickly it seemed that things were falling into place. I hadn't expected things to work out so well. I decided to invite Angela and Emily over for dinner and get their opinions on everything that had happened in the past two days, to see if they had any other insight to offer to me. I knew girl time was exactly what I needed and decided to see if they were up for dinner and desert.

I ate breakfast and made my bed, while calling Angela and Emily. Both seemed really happy to hear from me and we made plans for them to come over at six. I spent the rest of my time fielding texts from Jasper and Jake. I told them about having a girl's night in and both seemed disappointed that I didn't want to hang out with them. I fixed a quick pasta salad and some grilled chicken close to time and popped in 27 Dresses as some background noise while I was waiting.

The bell rang and I answered it, surprised to see both women standing at the doorway. Emily was holding her amazing chocolate pie and Angela was carrying a bottle of sparkling cider, grinning madly. I laughed as I ushered them into my place. We hugged and talked quickly for the first few minutes before calming down and making our way into the kitchen. I laughed at Emily's wide stance and slow waddle. I pointed this out to her and she stated firmly. "I'm three weeks from my due date. I can't breathe well, I can't sleep well, and I have constant heartburn….just wait until you look like this." She gave me a good natured look and began giggling.

"Oh yeah well I'm just starting to realize I can't wear my normal clothes this whole pregnancy and may have to go shopping for maternity clothes soon." I laughed at the way Angela looked uncomfortable.

"Oh, I actually have a bag out in the car of some stuff that I thought you might like. I will still be in maternity stuff for a few months, but I brought some extra stuff I had." I couldn't thank her enough.

"So, I've got some questions for the two of you and I need you to be honest. Be completely and brutally honest. Angela first of all…thanks a whole lot for mentioning that 'PA Whitlock' also happened to be none other than Jasper Cullen. I appreciate you letting me make a total fool out of myself." I rolled my eyes and pretended to choke.

"I just wanted to see how you would react. I should have told you, but I honestly didn't think it would bother you too much." She giggled quietly to herself, and I couldn't stay mad at her.

"I forgive you this time, but only because I've been such a crappy friend myself these past four years. Secondly….well, I'm not quite sure how to put this. How soon is too soon to start dating again? I mean I know I only just broke up with Eric and I am pregnant, but I have needs and I don't know…maybe I shouldn't even be thinking about all of this right now." I groaned and buried my head in my hands. Why couldn't I get Jasper and that searing kiss out of my mind? I was pregnant for crying out loud. I should probably just wait until after the baby was born and then maybe think about starting something.

"Bella that is a perfectly normal thing to be asking about now. Neither of us is going to think anything bad if you start dating as soon as you want. Are people going to talk? Maybe, but they might talk about you having a child out of wedlock too. Who cares what they think? If you feel like you are ready go for it." Emily began adamantly.

"I agree completely, who cares what other people think? I'm guessing you didn't just bring up Mr. Whitlock for no reason then? Is that who you are considering dating?" Angela looked at me with a kind smile on her face.

"I dunno. I mean yes, Jasper did tell me that he wanted more than friendship from me. He also told me that he was willing to go as slow as I wanted. I just don't want to lead him on, or pretend we are friends when we want to be more. I just want to either go for it, or put it on the back burner indefinitely. I don't want his family to think I'm a tease or whatever." I shook my head in defeat. I wasn't sure what I wanted. I wanted Jasper. He was madly attractive, and amazingly sweet, but I didn't know if I was ready to try again so soon.

"Bella, you have to do what is best for you. Clearly Jasper doesn't care what people think or he wouldn't have come anywhere near you. It seems like he really does just want to go at whatever pace you are comfortable with." Angela looked at me like I was being silly.

"I know it probably seems like everything is going too fast, but when things are right there is no reason to move slowly. Besides it's not like you have to jump into bed with him right away. You can start to 'date' without becoming serious too quickly. It's about getting to know each other better, not hooking up. Right?" As usual Emily was looking at this from the logical point of view. I was too close to the situation to see it as clearly as my friends.

"I guess you're right, besides when I hung out with the Cullen's yesterday they were all really sweet, even Rose was excited about me having the baby, so I guess they probably couldn't care less. I should just quit over thinking things huh?" I glanced at both friends who started to crack up.

"Yeah, do what feels right and go as slow as you want to." They both followed me into the kitchen and we set the table quickly. I was halfway through my plate when Angela spoke up.

"So have you and Jasper kissed?" She looked curious.

"What? Why would you even ask me that?" I exclaimed in shock.

"Ah, so you have kissed, I figured as much. Jasper is pretty cute."

"It wasn't even like that… we found each other at the movies on Friday and hung out afterwards at the diner with Jake. Then he brought me home and….and, and he told me he wanted me to know that he was waiting for me, he just didn't want some other guy to speak up before he had a chance, and he gave me a quick kiss to show me how he felt." Even as I spoke I felt my face flame up. I knew they could see right through me.

"Uhh huh, sure Miss Swan…" Emily cleared her throat.

"Come on guys, I don't want to talk about it. I've just decided to give it a shot with him and you might embarrass me out of it."

"Yeah, yeah we know what that really means. You just don't want to tell us all of the juicy details." Angela's eyes lit up and she glanced over to Emily. I knew I was about to be ganged up on, and so I decided to come clean about everything. It felt good to be talking like high schoolers again.

"Okay I'll tell you about it, but you have to keep it under lock and key. You especially Emily. If the guys on the reservation find out about this, they will never let me live it down." I shot her a death glare and continued, "So we hung out with Jake on Friday and on the way home we just caught up some. When we got here, he walked me to the door, and before we said goodbye he blurted out his feelings. I couldn't gather my thoughts so I invited him in and we cleared some stuff up. He told me that he wasn't trying to rush me, that he just didn't want me looking somewhere else when I got ready for a relationship. He said he didn't want someone else to tell me before he got a chance. Right before he left he came over to me and leaned in for a kiss. He hesitated and I couldn't help but pull us together. It was just like the movies, I felt like I was seeing stars. How weird is that?" I looked between incredulous gazes, and groaned out loud.

"Wow, I would say that you shouldn't give up a chance to have that. Who cares that it is happening so soon after Eric left? You shouldn't lose a chance at happiness just because it isn't in your timing. If you don't at least give it a shot you might not ever forgive yourself." Emily reached over and put her arm around me, and I knew I had made the right decision talking to these ladies. They knew me, and wanted what was best for me.

After that we all began to eat and the conversation turned to Angela. We talked to her about guys and she admitted that she wasn't dating anyone. We talked about my upcoming birthday party. Angela was very excited to be coming, and I was excited to have everyone I loved together at one time. I couldn't believe how easily Jake and the pack had accepted Jasper. I was contemplating that when my phone buzzed. I looked up at the girls and apologized as I checked my messages. I could feel my blush when I read Jaspers text.

**How has your day been darlin?**

I responded quickly, hiding my phone under the table to tap back a response while Emily and Angela gave me curious looks.

**Good, just hanging with the girls**

Both Angela and Emily seemed to understand and offered to leave. I told them absolutely not, and I put my phone away. We ate desert and talked some more before they made their excuses and headed to the door. Emily brought me the bag of clothes she had mentioned and gave me a huge hug. She told me to go after what I wanted and turned to leave.


	10. Finally together

**A/N: Okay so there are some loading problems tonight so I may reload this tomotrrow if FF isn't being a Whore. Sorry this took so long. My husband had to have an appendectomy unexpectedly. There is a little bit of lemony goodness there at the end so if you aren't 18 please don't read. Thanks again to my wonderful beta Jasper's Darlin Kathy. And thank you to every single person who has added this as a favorite or put it on alert it means the world to me that you like my story. Thanks also for every review, They make me smile and squee everytime I get one. I hope you like this chapter and I hope you will read and review. A special thanks to mommybrook for giving this a quick preview, and giving me some encouraging words.**

**P.S. They aren't mine but I sure love to play with them**

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Surprise of A lifetime 10

~~Jasper's POV~~

After Bella responded to my text I replied with a quick message.

**Just text me whenever you get done I'd love to talk to you tonight**

Less than an hour later I had a reply that had me excited and nervous at the same time.

_**I'd love to talk to you too. The girls are gone.**_

**Did you have fun?**

_**I had a good time, I needed to talk to them.**_

**Did you sleep well last night?**

_**I slept really well last night, thanks again for helping me out.**_

**It's no problem. Not like I have anything better to do at night. :)**

_**Haha, thanks for the confidence booster…I see how it is.**_

**You know I didn't mean it that way. Spending time with you is the best.**

_**Aww, now I feel loved.**_

**So what did you talk about?**

_**Actually, it was something I was hoping I could tell you in person?**_

**Sure, whenever is good for you, I'm there.**

_**Wanna come over tonight?**_

**Oh…yeah I'd like that.**

_**Then I'll see you when you get here.**_

I rushed through my preparations. I ran my fingers through my hair as I pulled on a jacket and made my way toward the front door. Carlisle and Esme looked up at me and each gave me a smile. I waved and jogged out to my truck. Once I was inside I let out a deep breath. I wondered to myself what she could possibly have to talk to me about. Was she going to tell me she didn't want to hang out anymore? I didn't have any idea and I wouldn't until I got there. I started the truck and drove the familiar roads in a daze. As I reached her driveway I could feel her excitement and nervousness. I quickly parked and hopped out of the truck. I slowed to a walk and reached the door. I raised my hand to knock but was shocked when the door swung open.

Bella stood there in a pair of jeans and a tee. She looked beautiful to me and I resisted the urge to wrap her in my arms and breathe her in. I wanted things that I knew she wasn't ready for and so I kept my distance. I was surprised when she opened her arms and leaned forward. I instinctively responded and embraced her in a hug that felt better than it should. I pressed my lips against her hair, and kissed her gently. I couldn't help myself. She had initiated the contact and it seemed to have destroyed my defenses.

She slowly pulled back from my arms and I looked down at her half-closed eyes. She grinned up at me, and I felt as though I were drowning. How could I possibly be just a friend to this wonderful woman? I was thinking that exact thought when she spoke.

"I want to date; I want to have a relationship with you. I'm not sure how it will work out, and I know that we will have complications along the way. But I can't deny that I'm attracted to you as more than a friend. I'm ready to get to know you more." I felt my stomach clench at her words. I shook my head slightly to clear it. I was sure I must be going crazy. I couldn't imagine her wanting to be with me, and at the same time I couldn't imagine ever leaving her side.

"Bella. Are you sure? I will still go as slow as you want, I just don't know that I could take it if you are playing a joke on me." I'm sure I looked half hopeful and half scared out of my mind. I had imagined this moment so many times that I wasn't sure if this was a daydream or reality.

"I'm sure Jasper. Holding off until later doesn't make sense. If you are okay with being with a pregnant woman, then who cares what everyone else thinks. You are okay with dating now, right? You weren't just trying to flatter me were you?" She suddenly looked shy and unsure of herself. It was incredibly cute to see her looking at me like that. I felt myself move forward without thinking about it. I cradled Bella in my arms and kissed her forehead. I murmured gently against her skin.

"I want you. I want everything you are willing to give me. I am so glad you decided to give me a chance. Thank you Bella." I enveloped her against me and I felt her heartbeat speed against my chest. She tipped her head back and I couldn't read the expression on her face. I felt her fear and joy only a moment before the first tear spilled over the ledge of her eye and onto her cheek.

I clutched her closer and walked slowly out of the door way and toward the couch. I sat down and pulled her onto my lap and tucked her body against mine like a child. I wanted nothing more than to take away any hurt and fear, but I felt amazed that she would show me this side of herself so soon after getting reacquainted. We sat like that for thirty minutes in silence with tears rolling slowly down her face. There were no sobs and no hiccupping breathing. She just let her emotions take physical form and I waited until she was ready to talk.

"Most guys would have run for the hills as soon as they found out I was pregnant. Yet you are willing to start a relationship and act as though it doesn't bother you at all? Why, Jasper? Why me?" I could tell she was actually asking these things and I thought carefully before choosing my answer.

"Bella, you always accepted me. I tried to drain you and you forgave me. You see something in me that no one else does, and you have complete faith in me. I can feel how honest and sincere you're feelings for me are. I have never in my long existence had someone be as totally accepting as you. Even the family has had slight problems with some of my past. You have never looked at me like a monster. How could I not want to be with you? You are a breath of fresh air." I tried to explain with my words how much she meant to me, but knew that I couldn't tell her the full truth at the time.

My answer must have been enough because she rested her head against my shoulder and stroked my chest with the hand that wasn't wrapped around me. I felt contentment roll off her gently and felt like a new man. Bella was ready to become closer. It was as if all of the moments leading to this had been perfect. She continued running her fingers up and down against my jacket and I felt her emotions begin to shift. I didn't realize until it was too late that Bella was no longer feeling strictly platonic.

She cupped her hand around my neck and guided her mouth to mine. Her soft sweet lips collided with mine and I saw stars. She tasted sweet and fruity like a sun ripened peach and I wanted to drink her down. The kiss started soft and quickly grew into something more passionate. I felt small fingers slide under my jacket and begin spreading it. I was so trapped by her kiss that I almost didn't realize she was trying to pull my jacket over my shoulders until I leaned forward to assist her.

I forced myself to break contact and speak in a somewhat controlled tone. "Bella, baby. We shouldn't be doing this. It feels good, but imagine how amazing it will be when you are completely ready. When we are further into our relationship. I don't want you to regret anything." I couldn't stop myself from continuing to kiss between words. She pushed lightly at my chest and sighed.

"You're right, but I want you so badly. When I saw you in the office two days ago it was like waking up from a dream. I haven't felt so alive in years. You light me up inside and I can't help but want to act on it. Besides these pregnancy hormones are killer. I need this. Please don't stop." She looked me in the eye and I could feel the weight of her lust against my chest. It was a choking thing, so hard to breathe through that I couldn't deny her want any longer. She pressed a firm kiss against my neck and began working her way down to my collar bone. I felt my head falling, and I didn't stop it. I smoothed my hands down her back until I reached her ass.

She moved so she was straddling me and I squeezed her gently. She felt heavenly and I couldn't stop the moan that passed my lips as she licked her way back up my neck. I fought the urge to press myself against her core, but failed miserably when she sat on my lap and began kissing my lips again in earnest.

I groaned loudly when she began twisting her hips on my lap, and pressing down on the bulge in my pants. I moved my hand further down to cup her heat, and nearly came undone when she began mewling. I wanted this so much. Every instinct in me was screaming to make her my own. To mark her as taken so that no one would come near her. I wanted to put a satisfied smile on those cute lips of hers and lick every inch of her. I decided then that I wouldn't stop completely. Bella was right, pregnancy hormones are not to be fucked with, and I didn't want her feeling rejected and crying for the rest of the night. I lifted her easily and walked with her wrapped around me into her room.

I put her gently on the bed and took my jacket and shoes off. I was going to keep my clothes on. I had to go somewhat slowly even if Bella couldn't see that it would be best in her frenzied state. I leaned down and I kissed her temple slowly. She tried to pull me closer but instead I pushed her farther up the bed until her feet weren't hanging off the bottom. I rose alongside her on the bed and placed chaste kisses on her neck and face.

~~Bella's POV~~

Jasper worked his way slowly up my body, and began kissing me softly. His lips were so cool to the touch that I should have calmed down, but his light kisses only worked me up more. I knew I should go slower, like he said, but my body couldn't seem to grasp the concept. Not with Jasper right there, smelling like heaven and tasting like sin. I arched against him, and he tutted at me.

He lay beside me and looked like a fallen angel with his hair sweeping across his brow. I pressed myself closer to him and he chuckled quietly before speaking "Darlin, I'm going to give you what you want, but you have to trust me okay?"

I wasn't sure exactly what he meant, but I was willing to try anything that might alleviate the burn between my legs. I felt consumed, and I had no clear idea of why. This must be what all the books warned about. I lay back against the pillow at my head, and Jasper leaned over to kiss me. The moment his lips touched mine I felt the fire in my stomach burn stronger. He began kissing me with short touches of his lips to mine and each graze brought me closer to breaking. His tongue slid along the bottom of my mouth seeking entrance and I gladly acquiesced. His tongue darted in quickly and I moved to capture it. We battled briefly for dominance before he pulled back with a grin. He used his hands to show me what he wanted from me.

He ghosted his hands down my torso, and when he reached my stomach he paused. I felt as though he was pushing desire directly into me. I gasped deeply and rolled my shoulders bringing my back off the bed. The feeling was so intense I felt I might lose it with just one touch.

He continued to feed my lust until I was sure I couldn't take anymore and I began to speak nonsense. I was so sure that I would die without his touch that I begged for him to make it stop. "Please Jasper, make it stop. I can't take anymore." I pleaded with him silently for just a moment before his hand slid to my breast and I felt the explosion I had been waiting for. I cried out loudly and twisted my hands in the blanket beneath me. My body writhed in pleasure and I was unable to control the shaking that started in my legs.

Jasper began a throaty laugh and my eyes sought to meet his gaze. "You make a man feel very good about himself."

I lay there while the aftershocks continued to pulse through me and I shivered when Jasper ran his fingers through my hair. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and felt contentment well up in me. Who knew an orgasm could bring such peace? I rolled to my side and propped my head up with my hand. "And how do I do that?" I looked at him through hooded eyes and felt a blush rise to my cheeks. I felt like a sheltered virgin or something.

"How can I not feel good watching you moan in pleasure because of a simple touch? You feed my ego much more and I'll be walking on clouds soon." He grinned and I felt myself melt a little.

"You cheated though, so don't get all cocky now. I didn't know your power could be used in that way. I can't say I'm complaining but damn, give a girl a little warning next time. I felt like I was burning from the inside out."

"To be honest, I've never done that before and wasn't sure it would work. I like seeing the effect I have on you though. You look beautiful." He gave me a knowing look and I felt my blush rising up again.

"Thanks, I appreciate you being a gentleman. Most guys would have taken advantage. Why didn't you?"

"I'm not most guys Bella, I respect you and I don't want you to leave me because you regret something in the morning. I can only hope you won't mind what I did tonight." He gave me a dark look that said he would like a repeat in the future and was hoping I wouldn't send him packing.

"Mind? Why the hell would I mind you giving me the best orgasm of my life? I am glad that we didn't do anything else, but feel a little guilty that you didn't receive any pleasure." I gave a pointed look to the tent in his pants.

"Sweetheart, I got all the pleasure I needed tonight. When you are ready I'm sure it's going to be amazing between the two of us. Are you ready for bed? I know you have work in the morning. You feeling any nerves or anything?" His genuine concern was touching and I leaned forward as he wrapped his arm loosely around my back.

"I am a little nervous, but I am sure it will be fine, this first week will just be cleaning up the classroom, and going to meetings. I don't even have to make any plans or anything, there is an outline and class plans already made. I think I'd like to talk for a little bit before I go to bed. It's still early. Do you mind just laying here with me?" I could feel his smile against my hair before he spoke.

"I'd love to talk before you go to bed. What do you want to talk about?"

We spent the next couple of hours talking about our jobs and what we liked about them most. We also discussed the pitfalls. He laughed when I told him about going through the six months of class studies I had to do before being able to graduate. I had thought originally I wanted to teach younger children and that had been a complete disaster. He joked that high school wasn't much better, the insults were just worse, but the fights were just as petty. I agreed, but told him that I hoped to be able to reach a few. Soon we were talking about his family and their excitement about my being pregnant. I admitted to being amazed at Rosalie's turn around and he agreed that his sister was a very complicated woman. I couldn't disagree with him on that point.

It felt like we had known each other forever and conversation flowed easily. At 10:00 Jasper looked at the clock and sighed. He asked if I wanted to get changed and ready for bed. I agreed that it was time for me to go to sleep, and he stepped into the hallway while I changed and got under the covers. He sat beside me quietly until I dozed off.


	11. Insecurities

**A/N: Okay guys. I know this took me forever and a day to update. I got totally blocked on what Jasper should get Bella and I owe a huge thank you to Chocoholic_Vamp for giving me an awesome Idea. It got me over my speed bump and back to writing. I am working crazy hours right now so please forgive any future delays. You guys totally rock and I really hope to see your ideas on what Jasper might be getting for Bella. Any ideas on what he got her?**

**A huge thank you to Jasper'sDarlinKathy who got this back to me in record time. I couldn't do this without her.**

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Surprise of a lifetime 11

~~Jasper's POV~~

On Tuesday Jake and I played a game of one on one and I'm ashamed to say that he kicked my ass. Basketball has never been my strongest sport, but it was nice playing against someone who wasn't as competitive as Emmett.

Jake was really glad to hear that Bella had decided to let me in, although he warned me that her sarcastic comments were her way of trying to protect herself. He actually had a lot of helpful hints and tips on how to approach Bella. He also gave me warning signs to look out for to indicate that she was mad. I told him about my gift and how she couldn't hide anger from me. He laughed and said that my power was way more useful than Edwards was.

I didn't inform him of how handy it had been a couple of days prior. I knew that I might be able to take him in a fight, but that I would wind up more scarred than I already was. I also might lose a limb or two in the process and felt that it wasn't worth seeing the shock on his face.

It was weird taking advice from someone so young, but Jake was so mature that I often found myself forgetting his age. We discussed Bella's upcoming birthday party and what we were giving her. I still hadn't been able to decide on anything. I wanted to get her something meaningful, but wasn't sure what yet. It wasn't until that night as I was changing out of my sweaty gym clothes that I had an idea. I hurried through my shower and dressed quickly to talk to Carlisle. He was working the late shift however and I was left pacing around the living room when Emmett found me.

"What the hell is wrong man?" He asked with his usual air of nonchalance.

"I dunno man, I feel restless. Like I need to be doing something. Something productive or whatever." I shrugged and continued pacing like a caged beast.

"Isn't it about time for you to head over to Bella's?"

"Yeah, you're right I just hoped Carlisle might come home for dinner tonight. I guess I'll see you later then."

"Yeah man, just let me know if there is anything I can do to help."

"I will, I will. I just want everything to be perfect for Bella's birthday party. I want her to know just how special she is to not only me, but the whole family."

"I'm sure she knows how much she means to you. You guys have gotten really close in a short amount of time. I'm sure she wants all of this as much as you do."

Emmett really was the best brother a guy could ask for. He was really calm and laid back, but he would do anything for a friend, no matter what it was. He was also really easy to talk to and he genuinely cared about the outcome. I went over and slapped him on the back and he punched me swiftly in the shoulder. That was our way of showing each other we cared.

I went to Bella's and we talked about everything and nothing it seemed. Topics flowed easily from first crushes to favorite TV shows. I felt like I could tell her anything, however I spared her the details of my being turned to a vampire and my past in the vampire wars. I wasn't hiding it from her really, she just never asked me about it. If I steered the conversation away from anything that might bring that up; well who could blame me?

I wanted to share my darkest fears and desires with her, but really didn't want to scare her off.

I sat by her bed as she drifted off to sleep and I placed a quick kiss on her cheek before leaving to go home. The ride home was fairly quick and I didn't allow myself time to worry about my upcoming conversation with Carlisle. I pulled into the driveway and swiftly strode into the house.

I found Carlisle sitting in his study as I was expecting and I shut the door softly behind me. I hesitated once inside the door as my father looked up at me with compassionate eyes. I summoned every ounce of courage within myself before speaking.

"Carlisle, I was thinking of getting Bella..."

"I know son, Alice called me this afternoon at work to inform me of your birthday gift for Bella. I am surprised I didn't think of it myself. Of course you have my blessing to give it to her. It would mean the world to me." He interrupted me so that I wouldn't have to ask. "I'm sure you know how to go about ordering it, and having it delivered by Saturday?" He looked at me with pride evident in his eyes and I felt more a part of the family than I had since joining.

"Thank you Dad. This means everything to me too. I'm so glad you are behind me on this one." I walked over to give him a hug and felt his shoulders shake once against my chest. I realized then that it was the first time I had called him Dad.

"Jasper, I am so glad to see you happy. I have always been and will always be proud of you. I am sorry for not always telling you that. I spent so much time worrying over your past that I never appreciated the man you've become. For that I owe you an apology."

I felt the tears well up in my eyes, and we shared a moment of understanding. We finally became father and son in his office that night, and I felt a hole in my heart begin to mend itself. We hugged once more and I left the office to play guitar for a while. It was late and I wouldn't be able to do anything about Bella's present that night.

I spent the rest of the week on cloud nine. Bella seemed to enjoy work and I really enjoyed the conversations we had each night. I ordered her gift and spent a bit of money to ensure that it would arrive in time; however I hoped that the sentimental value would allow Bella to overlook the monetary cost.

~~Bella's POV~~

The week seemed to fly by. I worked in the morning and spent my nights hanging out with Jasper. I also got to spend some time with my dad, and friends. It felt like I had been in this routine forever. I noticed that Jasper's mood picked up considerably mid-week, but I had nothing to base that on, it was just a feeling.

Angela had called me mid-week and told me that her cousin was coming in unexpectedly and she wouldn't be able to make the party. Instead I told her to bring her cousin to the party. It meant that much to have her there. She seemed happy that I wanted her there anyway and I was glad about my choice.

It was Saturday all too soon and I was worried about my birthday party. The last one I had was a total disaster and I wasn't sure I could handle any of that again however I refused to get too worked up over a party where I was going to be surrounded by people who loved me.

I chose a yellow halter dress that was still on the modest side. The dress had enough fabric that it fit tightly around my chest but was flowing around my stomach and waist. I felt pretty in it, but I was worried that soon Jasper wouldn't find me attractive.

During the past week I had begun to notice my stomach changing and expanding. I was no longer able to squeeze into my normal clothes and had to go out shopping for a few maternity tops. The bag of clothes Emily had given me was fantastic, but was mostly jeans and slacks. I was thankful for that; I didn't feel comfortable trying on pants with the stretch panel. I knew soon that was all I would be able to wear, but wasn't ready to actually buy them.

I turned this way and that in the mirror, looking at my changing shape. I brought my hands to my slightly rounded belly and arched my back. I stared at my grossly exaggerated self in the mirror and had a moment of panic. Would Jasper really want to be around me when I looked fat and pregnant with another man's baby?

I felt myself begin to tear up and I tried to keep them from falling as I heard Jasper pull up out front. I didn't want him to see me crying again. I took deep calming breaths and stood up straight quickly. I walked to the door and turned the handle before he had even knocked. Jasper had a sad smile on his face and he opened his arms wide.

I flew into them, and he held me close.

"What are you feeling guilt and embarrassment over?" He pulled my face closer to his and looked me in the eye.

"I…I don't want to talk about it" I murmured looking anywhere but him.

"Sweetheart, how is this going to work out between us if you can't talk to me about everything? I can't reassure you if I don't know what's wrong." His words struck me and I opened my mouth to speak.

"How will you think I'm pretty when I'm swollen and gross looking? When you look at me, I'm sure you will just be thinking about how I got knocked up my some other guy." I felt my voice waiver and knew the tears would be making an appearance no matter how hard I tried to stop them.

"Bella. Look at me. I don't care. Do you understand that? I don't care that it's not my baby. I will love that child as though it were my own, as long as you will let me. You will never look any less beautiful to me, just because of something like that." His words rang true and I could feel his genuine care through his touch on my cheek.

"What about your family? They won't see it that way. They are from a time where I would be considered a harlot." I stated with my bottom lip stuck out.

He quieted me with a kiss. Then he pulled back. "They see you as a daughter. I don't think there could be anyone prouder than Esme and Rosalie about your pregnancy. They are scared to death that you won't want them around the baby. Both have been worried you wouldn't want monsters like us around you or the baby after it's born. We are all afraid that your thus dormant instincts will kick in, and you won't want us anymore." He looked crestfallen and I felt sadness so pure I was sure I'd never feel happy again.

"Jasper…I could never do that to any of you. You are my family. I know that all of you would rather die than have something happen to me. You have proven yourselves over and over to me. I could never imagine having my child without your family as part of its life." I leaned in close and let him wrap me in comfort and calm.

"As long as you are willing to have us, we will be there for you. I can't imagine a life without you in it either. You have no idea how much that means to me. Now let's go to your party and enjoy it."

I let him lead me to his truck and used his hand to push myself into the seat. He walked around slowly and climbed in. As he started the engine and began backing out his hand searched for mine on the seat. It was nice to see that I wasn't the only one who found the contact comforting.


	12. Happy Birthday

**A/N: Surprises abound in this chapter. It's like Christmas for all you readers out there. A lot of you are going to be excited about this chapter (I hope) Here's the part where I do some begging though. Over 200 people have this on their alert list. Over 130 have this on their favorites list. If you made it through those awful first 3 chapters then Thank you, Thank you for staying with me. If you like what I'm writing please take just a few moments to leave a comment, they are what other people use to judge whether or not they want to read a story. So if you like it or if you hate it, please leave a comment to let me know what your thinking. I see how many people are reading each chapter and not even 10% are leaving comments. Kinda makes me sad. Make my day, and leave a comment please.**

**Thanks to Jasper'sDarlinKathy for doing the beta on this chapter, and always telling me how much she loves my story.**

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Surprise of a lifetime 12

~~Jasper's POV~~

Her hand was warm in mine and I felt my chest ache at the thought of loosing this precious woman. I couldn't believe that she still doubted my feelings, but hoped that my gift would cement our relationship. I hoped she would see how vital she was to my happiness, but worried that Bella might still suffer from doubts. All I knew was that I would always be there to reassure her. I would spend the rest of eternity walking over coals if it proved my devotion.

I pulled slowly into the driveway at her dad's house. The only car there besides the cruiser, was Sam and Emily's. The pack had all piled into their blazer and my family had arrived on foot so that she would be surprised. I walked around to her side, and she used my arm to get down from the height. She glanced up at me and I felt my breath catch in my throat.

"You look amazing tonight. I can't believe I forgot to say that when I first picked you up."

"Well, I was having a minor meltdown. I'll forgive you this time." She said playfully as her defenses slid back into place.

I squeezed her hand gently and she leant against my shoulder for a brief moment as we carefully picked our way across the wet and muddy yard. As we reached the front porch she pulled me into a fierce kiss. I allowed myself to be sucked into her lips for a long moment and I heard a soft giggle what felt like a second later.

"Hi there, birthday girl. It seems like you already got your birthday present." Angela chuckled quietly as she walked towards us.

"Yeah, yeah. You are such a comedian Angela. Planning on introducing us to your cousin? Or are you going to make us do that ourselves?" Bella bit back playfully.

"Oh, sorry. I got caught up in your kiss fest for a moment there. This is my cousin Jessica, but she goes by Jessie. Jessie this is Bella; and this is Jasper," She said after a moment of hesitation.

"It's nice to meet you Jessie. I'm glad you were able to come." We started to open the door.

People have often tried to explain the phenomenon that happens when a shifter see's his mate for the first time. I'm not sure that I can do it justice, but I knew immediately that was what happened when we opened the door into Charlie's living room.

As we opened the door Jake looked up and I saw him inhale sharply. Jessie for her part hadn't looked up yet because she was struggling with the present she was carrying. We managed to make our way into the living room, while she worked herself out of her jacket. Sam placed his hand on Jake's chest and whispered something in his ear. Bella looked between Jake and Jessie and back to me. I shrugged and took the hand she extended as we sat down to watch the exchange.

Jessica finally looked up and gasped. Angela looked confused and she started looking back and forth between them rapidly before speaking up. "Jessica, have you met Jacob? Jacob have you met my cousin Jessica?"

Jessica was the first to speak up and she walked over to Jake's side as she did so, "No. I feel like I've met him before though. He seems so familiar." She spoke as though in a daze.

"Jacob has one of those faces. We'll talk about it all later. Let's focus on the birthday girl now." He shot me a look and I knew we would have to clue not only Jessica in on our world, but also Angela. I dreaded this, but also thought it might make things easier on Bella.

Bella reached for my hand where it had dropped beside me on the couch. I loved the warmth against my fingers and I slid closer to her on the couch as the room erupted in chatter. Everyone began talking all at once and I notice Emily and Angela talking off in one corner. Charlie made his way in from the kitchen to announce that the burgers were on the grill and that we could all come out and start getting our plates.

As we filed out of the living room I stole a kiss from Bella and smiled when she broke into a nervous giggle. As we crossed through the door and out into the yard I heard Bella squeal and felt her launch herself out into the yard.

"Alice! Oh my god! What are you doing here? Esme, Rose, Carlisle, Emmett, Edward; why didn't I know the whole family was planning on being here?" She shot an evil glare at me and I knew that despite being overjoyed she was going to kill me for not letting her in on the secret beforehand. I was just as shocked though. I had no knowledge of Edward and Alice being here.

I gave a look to Alice, and I felt a burst of guilt before the excitement of being back around her best friend overtook her. I would have to have a talk with her later. It was supposed to be Bella's day, and here Jake had imprinted and her EX and best friend had shown up. I shook my head slowly and turned to Carlisle.

"Did it arrive? Please tell me I'm not going to be empty handed when it comes time for her to open presents."

"Alice brought it along with her, apparently she saw a delay and found the only way to ensure it got here was to hand deliver it." Carlisle patted my back.

"Well then I suppose I won't kill her for this surprise of hers." I rolled my eyes and Carlisle gave a good natured laugh on my behalf.

Sam walked over and he and Carlisle began discussing God knows what. I walked over to Emmett and we talked about how Alice never could resist a party. He even speculated that she had arranged the whole thing so she had an excuse to come. Edward wandered over to where we were standing and gave me an apologetic shrug before he came over.

"I'm sorry Jasper. You know how Allie is when she gets something in her head. I tried to talk her out of this, but it did about as much good as talking to a brick wall. Besides I can't say no to her anyway." He gave a shy smile and I realized how much I had missed my brother.

"It's okay. I understand completely. Why do women have such power over us?" I pondered aloud.

"Speak for yourself pansies. You boys are whipped, but I do what I want, when I want." Emmett spoke firmly.

Rosalie looked over and made a motion with her hand and Emmett groaned loudly before walking over to her with his head hung low. Edward and I began laughing uncontrollably. At least we knew we were whipped and happy to be. Emmett just refused to believe he didn't wear the pants in his relationship, and ended up suffering because he was always putting his foot in his mouth because of it.

~~Bella's POV~~

I felt like my heart might explode over how happy I was. Not only were the pack and my friends at my party, but the entire Cullen clan had shown up as well. I was overjoyed when I saw Alice standing in the backyard talking to Charlie as though they were best pals. He was putty in her hands, and he had no problem with that.

I laughed as I listened to what they had done to make it here in time and joked that I couldn't believe they had run the entire way.

"It was much faster. We never would have gotten here in time if we drove. There were several accidents that would have impeded our travels." She stated matter-of-factly.

"I just can't imagine you running through woods and stuff, how did your outfit survive the trip?" I teased

"I left plenty of clothing at the house here, just in case. Duh!"

I was amazed at how much fun I was having around the family. I didn't even notice that Jasper had gone off to talk to other people, until he was sliding in behind me and putting his arms around me. I melted into his arms and I saw a knowing gleam in the Cullen's eyes. I felt my face heat and I excused myself to talk to my other guests.

I walked over to Emily and Sam and we exchanged the normal pleasantries. I gave them both a knowing look, and we pulled a bit further from the group.

"Jake and Jessie have imprinted haven't they?"

"Yes, I know there are things we will have to discuss, but they can wait." Sam spoke up.

"It's okay Bella, Angela seems to be open to the idea that there may be something else out there. We will just have to sit her down at some point and explain everything. I'm sure it will be okay." Emily put her arms around me, and I felt some of the tension in my shoulders release. I rolled them gently and pulled her closer to me.

"You are fantastic. Thank you so much for being here for me." I whispered into her ear. As I pulled away I saw a single tear fall down her face.

"Thank you for letting me be a part of your life. I know there were problems between the pack and the Cullen's in the past, but I am so glad you gave us a chance to prove that we can behave like adults. We are all lucky to have you as part of our lives." She smiled at me and I felt completely at ease in her presence.

"You don't have to thank me. Thank the guys for putting that stuff aside." I gave a look to Jasper and he nodded to Sam.

"We have more in common than we originally guessed." Jasper spoke quietly and Sam nodded his agreement.

I was having so much fun that I didn't even notice my hunger until Jake walked up with a burger and I felt my stomach rumble. Jasper stayed close behind me as I walked to the grill to fix my burger. I saw my dad and went up to him and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you dad. I don't tell you enough, but I love you. You have been fantastic about everything, I couldn't ask for a better dad."

"Aw, come on Bella, don't embarrass you're old man in front of all the guests." He shuffled his feet, and hugged me loosely back.

I pulled back and gave him a peck on the cheek before going to the patio to sit down while I ate. Jasper put his arm around my shoulder and I trembled at the touch. We sat down on the covered swing, and began rocking gently back and forth. I ate slowly and looked out at the backyard. It was filled with people, all very different, and yet all here for me.

I couldn't have felt more loved if I tried, and I smiled to myself.

Jasper was running his fingers through my curls and I dropped my head to the side, to ease the distance between us. I finished my burger and Alice approached practically jumping up and down.

"Is it time for presents yet?" She looked at me with excitement barely contained in her perky eyes.

"I guess so. I'm excited to see what everyone has gotten me. This should be an interesting birthday." I stood and followed the people heading back into the living room. It was quite crowded, but I didn't feel any apprehension. Instead I felt an excitement that I hadn't had for birthdays in years.


	13. Presenting Presents

**A/N: So I left you guys hanging last chapter. I'm not going to apologize. I could have written the party as one 8,000 plus word chapter and posted it all today, or I could break it up into 3 parts like I did. Unfortunately I work full-time, My husband is owned by the military and our schedules totally clash. I see him less often then I see my bed each night. That means that sometimes writing takes a back seat. I am sorry that I cannot write as much as I would like however, I feel that the chapters are good and strong chapters. This chapter is over 3,500 words so it is almost twice as long as an average chapter. I also have a beta that has a real life and is currently dealing with a ruptured cyst, the fact that she even bothered to get this Beta'd just shows how dedicated she is.**

**All of that being said. I adore you guys for all of the wonderful reviews you have left me. I am only 21 away from 300, I cannot believe it. You guys totally rock, and without further ado....the birthday presents.**

**I don't own anything....at all**

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Surprise of a Lifetime 13

~~Jasper's POV~~

I sat on the couch beside Bella. I wasn't afraid to leave her side, although I did feel uncomfortable in the small room with the wolves. In my head I knew they were our friends and that I didn't need to worry about anything, but my instincts had my hair standing on the back of my neck, and I felt jittery.

I looked over at Bella and could practically see the happiness radiating off of her. I was so glad to be even a tiny part of her birthday party. I sat quietly as she talked excitedly with Emily, Angela, and Alice. They were talking about the baby, and other girl things. Emmett slid next to me.

"You look totally dopey right now. I never thought I'd see you looking at a girl like that. Not after you and Alice came out as a non-couple."

"Haha, you are so funny Emmett." I gave him a look and he shrunk back a bit.

"I was just playing man. You know how glad we all are that you and Bella are together now." He spoke quickly.

"I know…I just like to see that you are still afraid of me now and then. Chill out bro." I laughed as I picked on him.

"Aw, man. I'm never going to live down our first meeting am I?"

"Well, I'll think about it." I pushed him gently.

"Okay, let's start this off. Bella, this is from Sam and I." Emily stepped forward with an enormous box and a small package.

"Thank you so much. Just having you here is present enough for me." Bella said graciously before pulling the large box into her lap. She looked a bit ridiculous because the only thing you could make out was her rams wrapped around the box.

She ripped into the paper with more enthusiasm than I expected, but I was delighted to see how eager she was. The box was taped shut and I could feel Bella's frustration at the setback. She sighed quietly and looked to me. I reached over and quickly slid my nail through the tape around the edge of the box.

She lifted the lid and I saw her face light up as she recognized what was inside.

~~Bella's POV~~

I pulled out the biggest pillow I had ever held and gasped when I felt the cover that was on it. It was a body pillow, in a really soft microfiber case.

"Thank you so much Emily! I have heard how awesome these are, but haven't gotten around to getting one for myself yet."

"I noticed that when I came over for dinner and was glad to see that you didn't have one yet. It's a total life saver. It will seriously help later on, to help you get comfortable enough to sleep."

I reached for the smaller box and began opening it. I began to laugh when I realized it was an enormous chocolate bar. I lifted it to show the room, and everyone else erupted into laughter as well.

"So you always have some chocolate stashed around. I kept one in a drawer for midnight cravings and it saved me from countless midnight trips to the store." Sam joked.

I balled up the wrapping paper and threw it across the room at him. Jake chuckled in his deep rumbling way and stepped forward holding a card. I gave him a questioning look and he just leaned in to give me a quick hug.

"It isn't much, but I thought it was a pretty good idea, especially since pretty soon you will be too busy to remember this sort of thing."

I sat down and peeled the flap back on the envelope. The card was one of those joke ones, and I giggled as I read the inside flap. Jake had scrawled a sweet note across the blank side, and as I opened it a slip of paper fluttered onto my lap. I lifted the paper and realized it had been made to look like a coupon. It entitled me to a year's worth of oil changes. I couldn't believe how thoughtful Jake had been. He was giving his time and energy rather than money. I appreciated that more than I could express with words.

I thanked him and he replied that he felt better knowing my car would be in his hands. All of the guys laughed at that and the pack stepped forward with another card. I opened it and laughed when it began singing 'wild thing'. They had gotten together and given me a gift certificate for a Pedicure/Manicure combination at the local spa. I surprised the group by standing up and hugging each of the guys in turn. I just couldn't believe how lucky I was to have such an amazing group of friends.

Angela gave me a few books that had recently come out, and surprised me yet again with her memory and thoughtfulness. Alice stepped forward with a small box.

"I know how much you dislike traditional gifts I might otherwise spend money on. I was hoping you wouldn't mind if I did something else instead."

I held my breath as I peeled the paper gently from the package. I was really hoping it wasn't some crazy expensive baby rattle or something equally outrageous. I heard myself gasp as I read the card inside. Alice and Edward had donated money to a small village in Africa to fund a clean water well. I squealed in delight and sprung up to hug Alice. She squeezed me gently in return and smiled into my cheek.

"I'm so happy you like it. I thought you would rather I donate something in your name, than spend the money on you."

"Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks," I mumbled under my breath so softly only she could hear it. She pinched me gently and tutted at me, before turning and going to the corner of the room with Esme.

I laughed quickly and sat back on the couch. Charlie stepped forward with an envelope also and I gripped him tightly in a hug as I felt the tears well up in my eyes. I was the luckiest girl alive to have such a supportive and loving father. I pulled back and shot him a questioning look.

"Just open it Bells, It isn't much, but it will come in handy soon enough." He gave me a disapproving look and I gave him a shy smirk. I would always be his baby, but I could tell that this birthday gift was probably for the baby. Ah, the joys of parenting. I ripped the card open and read the sappy card quickly; he was so predictable with his card choice. Always something syrupy sweet and reminiscent, but I looked forward to them each year. I read the piece of paper inside the card and giggled quietly as I realized how right I had been.

Charlie had given me the gift of 5 nights of babysitting, Allowing me a full night's sleep without interruption. I held it up for everyone to see and heard a few oohs and aahs. Emily bemoaned my fortune, and gave Charlie puppy dog eyes. He smiled indulgently and told her he wouldn't mind doing the same for her too.

Carlisle brought over a medium sized bag and a card. I was told to open the bag first, and the card second. I was curious, I'll admit, about what they could have possibly gotten me. I gave Jasper a raised eyebrow and he shrugged quickly and urged me to begin opening it. I pulled out piece after piece of tissue paper before finding an assortment of specialty teas. I felt my happiness reach a breaking point and a tear made its way down my cheek as I looked up at the family I had thought I lost all those years ago.

Emmett reached behind Jasper and patted my shoulder softly. "We heard you enjoyed tea each night before bed, and thought you might enjoy trying some new ones. I picked out the blueberry one. I hope you like it." He looked at me with a silly grin on his face.

"Thanks Emmett, I'll let you know okay?" I gave Carlisle my thanks before opening the bright red envelope in my lap, but I was interrupted before I was able to open it completely.

"This is from Esme and I," Rosalie looked excited and I couldn't help but pull the card quickly from its holder.

The card was funny and sweet. Inside was a written offer to help paint and decorate my house with me. I looked at the ladies who had accepted me back into their lives so quickly and wholly. I was seriously touched by how many people I had that loved me and wanted to help me. I got up and hugged everyone in turn. I sat back down and people began talking again. I was ashamed to say that I felt a moment of disappointment that Jasper had not gotten me anything, but reminded myself that we had just started dating, and that I should be grateful for all that I had received.

All of the food eating beings in the house got a piece of cake and we sat down to enjoy another hour or so of talking. I sat down near Alice and spoke to her.

"How long are you in town for?"

"We haven't decided anything concrete, why?"

"I thought we might find time to get together and have a little chat." I gave her a pointed stare.

"How did I know you were going to say that?" She just smiled sweetly at me.

"I imagine you saw it coming, but no matter, let's enjoy the party tonight, and talk about serious things later." I gave a mock, serious face and Alice laughed heartily.

The rest of the night was a blur of activity, talking and laughing until I thought I might fall asleep standing up. Jasper made his way over to me through the crowded room and rested his hand lightly on my elbow. I moved my arm back until his hand was in mine and pushed my thanks in his direction. I had no idea if that would even work or not, but he gave me a surprise look, and I thought I must have succeeded.

The night was beginning to wind down and people were saying their goodbyes. Jasper placed an arm around my shoulders and asked if I was ready to go home. I nodded and we politely made our excuses. Emmett and Carlisle gathered my gifts and followed us to the truck. The tucked them into the back, and waved as they went to gather the rest of the family.

~~Jasper's POV~~

Bella had surprised me earlier tonight by pushing her feelings to me specifically. It had happened before unintentionally. When feelings were directed at me, I could feel them more strongly. At her party however she had given them a nudge in my direction it seemed. I was surprised and happy that she wanted me to know how she felt.

I cranked the engine and briefly gazed at Bella. The moonlight was bright and it bounced off her cheek, kissing her with a touch of a glow. I drew in a deep breath and drove in silence toward her house. She would speak when she was ready. I had learned that Bella preferred to think about something for a while before talking about it. I was sure she had much to say about the party, but needed time to process everything that had happened in such a short time.

"A lot happened tonight, huh?"

"Yeah. Are you upset about Alice and Edward showing up unexpectedly?"

"No, although Alice is going to get an earful when we sit down and talk sometime this week."

"Try not to be too hard on her, I know it's shitty that she kept stuff from you, but she felt like she was doing what was best for you. Just remember that when you guys talk okay?"

"I will. I'm not mad at her I was just really sad to find out that she had kept such a huge thing from me. I will be understanding. I think"

"Haha, I guess that's all I can ask of you then."

"I had a great time tonight though. Lots of really awesome presents. I can't believe your family was able to keep from going crazy on the gift front."

"Well they have already gotten you pretty much everything you could ever want or need for the baby, so I guess they decided to tone it down for your birthday party…" I gave her an apologetic glance.

"I can't be mad at them for anything they do for the baby, I understand wanting to get all of the adorable little things they sell for babies. It's all just so small and cute." She giggled at my pained expression. "Okay, okay enough about that for now. Did you have fun tonight?"

"I had a wonderful time. It was so nice to see you having fun and enjoying yourself. Any time I get to be with you is wonderful."

"Aw, Jasper what a nice thing for you to say. Just remember that when I'm screaming in pain, and trying to claw my way through your hand during labor." She slid her hand to my knee and rubbed it in small circles.

"Perhaps I will let you handle that by yourself then…."

"You devil! I won't let you try to weasel your way out of being there. I'll need all the help I can get. Besides you said you enjoyed being able to lessen the pain of labor. I will call Carlisle on you if you even think about backing out on me." She faked anger fairly well.

"I was just joking…you know I'm going to be there for you. I wouldn't dream of being anywhere but by your side that day."

"I know that. You said you would be there, and I trust you." She slid closer to me, and I wrapped an arm around her small shoulders.

We arrived at her house and lingered in the truck for a few moments before climbing out. I tucked the small box into my pocket and forced myself to walk slowly beside Bella. I felt a moment of disappointment from her as we reached the door, and I lifted her face to mine.

"What's the matter Bella?"

"Nothing, I had a lot of fun tonight Jasper."

"Don't even try to lie to me. I can tell something is bothering you. Besides, I never thought you would be a girl who would play the 'nothing' game," I gave her a look and she smiled.

"I'm not. At least I don't want to be. It's….I don't know. I should be the happiest girl in the world right now, I…."

"Hey, it's okay. I understand darlin' I bet you are probably wondering why I didn't get you anything huh?"

"What? No, absolutely not! I didn't expect anything from you."

"I did get you something, I just didn't want you to feel pressured when you were opening gifts. If you don't like it, I want you to feel free to let me know."

"Jasper, you shouldn't have. I can't believe that I allowed myself to be upset for even a moment about not getting a gift from you. I had no right to be angry. I was acting like such a baby about the whole thing tonight."

"Just wait until you open it and then we can talk about what you think."

I pulled the box from my pocket and held it loosely in the palm of my hand. Bella gave me small smile before nodding gently. I lifted my hand gently toward her, pushing the present into her hand. I felt a leap of hope at the thought of her reaction but tamped it down until she removed the box from my hand.

She took the well wrapped and bowed present and hefted it slightly in her hand. She pulled it close to her ear and shook gently listening to the noise it made with a grin on her face. I chuckled slightly at the expression and pulled her closer to myself without touching. She began slowly untying the bow on the front and I felt myself begin to bounce lightly on my toes in anticipation. I wanted so badly to rip the box from her hands and reveal the present myself, but held myself back.

"Could you possibly take any longer? I don't have forever ya know."

"Actually you do have forever… you are so funny." She deadpanned.

She finally slipped the ribbon off completely and handed it back to me. She moved a nail through the tape with ease and stuck her tongue out at me.

"It's my party and I'll go as slow as I want to."

"Technically your party ended 30 minutes ago, and you are torturing me. Just open the damn present already, you are driving me crazy."

"Oh, tetchy, tetchy. Fine, I'll open it; don't get your panties in a twist."

She moved her fingers quickly and in a second had the paper completely removed. She hesitated as she lifted the lid off the small rectangle box. Once she had it opened, she gasped at the sight of the smaller blue Tiffany box.

"Jasper, I can already tell that this is way too much. You shouldn't have spent this much on me. You need to send this back. I can't take it."

"Bella, just open it. See what's inside before you send it back. I promise that if you think it's too much once you've seen it, I will do whatever you want me to do with it."

"I guess I can do that." She silently removed the lid from the blue box and pulled out the case inside. She breathed deeply as she lifted the spring loaded lid to reveal her present.

"Oh Jasper! Are you sure about this? Did you ask everyone what they thought about it? How did you get this made so quickly? This must have cost a fortune." The words tumbled from her lips in an endless stream of joy and surprise.

"Bella, I asked Carlisle about it before ordering it, and the whole family agreed. As long as you are willing to have us in your life, you are part of the family. We only left when Edward left, because we wanted to give you the opportunity to make your own decisions. Esme was so sad and upset for months afterward because she didn't want you to hate us all. I would be honored if you would wear this necklace with the family crest, but I would also understand if you feel it's too soon." My stomach lurched at the thought of her rejection, but I had to make it known that she had a choice in the matter.

"I'll never take it off! I cannot believe you and your family want me to wear your crest. It is more than I could have ever hoped for. Thank you so much." She lunged to wrap her arms around my neck and I reciprocated gladly. I felt the beat of her heart against my chest and sighed contentedly at the feel of her in my arms. Her warmth and joy surrounded me, bringing peace that I had not felt in a long time.


	14. Getting Through It

**A/N: I've never been one to dedicate a chapter. But this chapter is dedicated to JustOnePogoStick, who spent an inordinate amount of time going through and reviewing every single chapter on both of my multi-chaptered fics. She gave me words of encouragement and asked some great questions. **

** I was also lucky enough to spend two weeks in NC with my family and was able to witness the birth of my newest nephew. It was fantastic to take a break but I am glad to be back in Idaho. I really hope you like this chapter and will have something up on Whiskey Kisses soon hopefully.**

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Surprise of a Lifetime 14

~~Bella's POV~~

I sucked in a deep breath and pulled Jasper's scent in. Despite being in his cool embrace, I was warmer than I remembered being in a long time. I finally felt warm from the inside out. It was such an unusual sensation that I looked up at him with hooded eyes and tried to read his emotions. I couldn't grasp how he had known what would bring me peace.

I finally felt accepted. I looked at him and brought my lips down gently on his cheek. I giggled quietly as he pretended to wipe it off.

"Does that mean you aren't going to force me to send it back?" He raised an eyebrow in mock seriousness.

"You can't have this back unless you pry it from my cold dead fingers." I stuck my tongue out.

"That can be arranged if you prefer." He stated with a straight face.

"Haha, you should have gone into standup comedy instead of the medical field."

"Yeah maybe someday." He teased before bringing his lips to mine in a sweet kiss.

"I love it. I should be upset about the cost, but I just can't wait to put it on." I answered his earlier question.

"Let me remedy that situation. Turn around my lady." He performed a half bow.

I complied and shivered as I felt cold fingers sliding my hair to the side. I closed my eyes and committed the night to memory, because I didn't want to forget anything about it. I had just had the best birthday in the world. I leaned into Jaspers chest as he pulled his fingers from my neck and wrapped them around my waist.

He turned me slowly in his arms and I heard his sharp intake of breath as I faced him finally.

"It looks better on you than I could have imagined."

"Such a flatterer, don't worry I'm going to invite you in." I smirked at him as I opened the door and walked into the living room.

"It's the truth. You were made to wear the Cullen crest. I am just so lucky you have been willing to accept all of us. I am lucky to have you in my life." I felt he was trying to tell me something more than his words conveyed.

I removed the basket of teas from his hand.

"Want to go get the other stuff from the truck? I'll make some tea and change into my pajamas." I watched as he walked to the door and took deep breaths to calm myself.

I started the water to boil, and was making my way into the bedroom to change as I heard the front door open and Jasper called out.

"Which tea did you want to try first? I can finish that up while you change."

"Emmett seemed psyched for me to try the blueberry one, so I'll do that tonight." I answered as I pulled my dress off and used a wipe to remove my makeup. I was in the middle of pulling on my shorts as I heard the door to my room open.

I turned my head quickly to the sound and watched in shock as Jasper opened the door and entered my room.

"Oh, I uh…I thought you were finished. I'll just wait in the living room." Jasper stammered before trying to back up quickly.

"Jasper. It's just a bra. Not like I'm naked or anything." I said quietly as I walked toward the door slowly.

"It's not that. I just," he went silent as I stopped a few inches from him.

"You just what?"

"I've never seen you in less than your pajamas. I should have knocked. I apologize. " He took in a deep breath and I leaned in closer.

"I know how you can make it up to me." I whispered as I grazed his earlobe with my lips.

"How can I make it up to you?" Rasped softly from his lips.

I pulled his head to mine and crushed my lips to his in a deep kiss. I rose on tip toes and moved one hand to his waist to begin tugging his shirt up. I slid my fingers back and forth at the band of his jeans and then worked them upward to his chest, his chilled skin turning me on even more. I was practically fevered.

I couldn't remember being so turned on in all my life, but the image of Jasper in his civil war uniform froze me. Jasper was from a time when women didn't behave the way I was behaving at that moment. I wanted things to work out between Jasper and I.

He was everything I needed in my life, stable, smart and funny; even if he was more sarcastic than anything. I finally felt the passion I had with Edward, the friendship I'd shared with Jacob, and the comfort I'd found in being with Eric. I didn't want to do anything that might jeopardize that.

I kissed him softly on the lips before pulling back with an awkward smile.

"I'm the one who needs to apologize now. I'm sorry for pushing myself on you. You must think I'm terrible." I felt tears well up out of nowhere.

"Bella, how could I think you are terrible? I want this just as much as you do." He pulled me to him quickly and I felt the evidence of his arousal against my hip. I gasped sharply. "Now do you believe me? I want you. I just want to make sure you are absolutely certain. I couldn't stand it if you regretted anything between us." I felt the anguish in those words.

"Jasper. I know this seems crazy. I feel crazy for even thinking it, but I love you. I feel like I've found the other part of my soul. Like you had been carrying it around all this time, until I was ready for you. I need you." His forehead met mine and he began talking.

"Bella, you have no idea how long I've wanted to hear those words from you. I love you, too. I have since the day I met you. I couldn't imagine losing you, so you have to be sure." I felt his honesty, and need as though it were my own, and I realized it was my own. We needed each other.

~~Jasper's POV~~

Bella held my heart in her hands. I waited with baited breath to hear what she had to say. I knew her response would either crush any hope of a future I had, or lift me up to the sky. I had never opened up so much in my life, nor in my existence as a vampire. I had never invested something I couldn't afford to lose like I had just done with Bella.

I stared as her mind seemed to process my statement.

"Bella, please say something." I urged.

"Jasper how is it that we have only been back in each other's lives for a little over a week? I feel like I've known you all my life." I saw a tear spill over her cheek, and I leaned in to kiss it away. The taste of salt and Bella lingered on my tongue as I pulled away.

"It does feel that way doesn't it? Perhaps the physical should wait, while we fill in the gaps. I want to be there every morning when you wake up; I want to be the one tucking you in at night. I want to get to know you. The rest will still be there when we catch up." I stroked her cheek and watched as she moved closer to my touch.

"I like that idea. As much as my body is screaming that we should just do what we want and screw the consequences, I'm glad one of us has a level head." She tilted her head up and looked at my face as though looking for something there.

"I certainly don't have a level head currently, however I can compartmentalize a bit better than the average human." I raised an eyebrow hoping to lighten the situation.

"Oh well if you want to act like that, you can take your skinny butt back into the living room and wait until I get dressed. Perhaps you can practice compartmentalizing your lust which is currently leaking all over me." She smiled brightly at me and turned back into her room.

I quickly checked my emotions and saw that I wasn't in fact doing any 'leaking'. I laughed deeply as I sat on the couch and replayed the scene in my head to go over the fine details. I felt my chest begin to burn at the reminder of the need we had both been so deeply tangled in as we talked about the future.

I felt relief as I remembered her telling me she loved me. I knew it wouldn't be easy sailing from here on out, but it was a start. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice Bella's approach until she placed a hand on my shoulder. I turned my head to look at her and she grinned at me.

"How about that cup of tea?" She questioned me lightly.

"I can get that. Why don't you sit down, and rest for a bit. You've had a long, eventful day." I walked into the kitchen and fixed her a cup of blueberry tea, just the way she liked it. I hummed quietly as I did so, and heard giggling from the living room. I walked into the living room with a death glare settled on my face.

"What? You were humming 'Over the rainbow'. Don't even try to deny how funny that is." She gave me a look that said she wasn't playing with me.

I laughed briefly, and sat down beside her on the couch wrapping an arm around her shoulders as I pushed the cup of tea into her outstretched hand.

"Thank you. You sure do make a good cup of tea." She said as she took a small sip. "Mmm, Emmett did a good job picking this out, it's yummy!" She exclaimed as she took a larger swallow.

"I'll make sure to let him know how much you liked it. He has been acting like a bit of a lost puppy this past week." I responded to her obvious pleasure.

"Really? Why is that?" She gave me a quizzical look.

"He was miserable when we left last time. Always complaining about losing his little sis. He just wants to see you more."

"Oh. I bet he wouldn't want you sharing that info with just anybody." She raised that infuriating eyebrow.

"I'm sure you're right about that. Just plan on spending some time with him in the near future or he might drive the whole family crazy." I gave her a smirk.

"Alright, alright. I can do that. I'm sure I can find some sporting event or something to take him to." She laughed and moved her hand to mine. I gripped her hand loosely and began rubbing my thumb over the back of it gently.

"He won't let you know how much it means to him, but he has missed you almost as much as Esme."

"Jasper, you have no idea how glad I am to have you and your entire family back in my life, even Rosalie." She gave me a sideways look which caused me to smile deeply.

"She really did have your best interests at heart. You should talk to her sometime, and ask her to tell you about how she became one of us. I think you might be surprised to find that she has her own insecurities and things to deal with. She has been like a sister to me, and I hope you two will become friends." I gave her a piercing look and she glanced at me from under thick lashes.

"I believe you. I was just too young when we first met to give her a chance. I think we could get along better now that I have been through some real life stuff. Now if only I could get Alice alone for a little one on one chat." She snuggled closer to my chest and I wrapped my arm more closely around her.

"Ah, Alice. She's my best friend and sometimes I'd still like to strangle her, but what exactly is it you wanted to talk to her about?" I thought I knew what it was about, but I wanted to make sure.

"She was supposed to be my friend, and yet she kept something this big from me. I know she had to have known Edward was her mate. Why didn't she tell me?" She sounded exasperated.

"You know her visions are subject to change right? She really didn't want to mess anything up that might happen later down the road." I answered in what I hoped was a vague enough response.

I felt her shift inside my embrace. I tilted my face toward hers as she looked up with something close to recognition in her eyes.

"She saw this? She saw us together in the future? Why the hell didn't she tell me? Why didn't she tell you?" I saw and felt the spark of anger rising in her, and I glanced away. "She did tell you, didn't she? You knew we would be together all along? Why? Why didn't you tell me?" She pulled away from me quickly and looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

"Bella, you have to understand that she saw so many possibilities that neither of us could be sure of our futures. So many times she saw Edward leaving the family because he was tired of her trying to get him to accept everything. In some versions we never even met you. There were times when it looked like you wouldn't come back to Forks. We couldn't risk telling anyone what we saw, because it was such a subjective vision. I couldn't risk everyone looking at me with pity when things didn't work out between us. I still can't stand the thought that this might not work out. I can't stand the thought of losing you Bella. You have to understand that." I pleaded with both my words and emotions. She had to understand that what I was telling her was the truth.

"Jasper…." She trailed off as she slid further from me on the couch. "I, I don't know what to say to that. I want to feel flattered, and happy that you care so much about me. But at the same time, I'm angry that you and Alice kept this from me. I spent so many years thinking I had lost all of you. If I thought there was even a chance of having you in my life I would have done whatever it took." She looked at the cup of tea between her hands.

"Don't you see though Bella? This is what it took. You needed the time to grow and go through heartbreak. You needed to come back to Forks in your own time. I needed to learn how to control my bloodlust. I needed to become the man I should be for you. We both needed this time and space to grow and accept ourselves before we could work as a couple. As much as I hated the idea that I might not be the one for you, it had to be this way or we both would have been unable to make it work."

"Jasper, what if it hadn't worked out? What if Eric had done the noble thing and offered to marry me? What then? We both would have been miserable for the rest of our lives." Her voice rose as her panic did.

"I would have found you. I would have done whatever it took." I held her face in my fingertips and looked into her eyes. I had to see that she believed me.

She stared into my eyes for what felt like an eternity. I couldn't look away, but it hurt every second that ticked by.

"I believe you. I'm just glad that didn't happen. I'm selfish enough to want every moment I can get with you. I guess I have no right to be mad about what could have happened. I should just be thankful about what did happen. I'm glad you are here right now. Nothing else matters." She set her cup on the table and slid into my open arms.

I wrapped both arms around her as tight as I could, and breathed in her scent. I wasn't sure I deserved her love and faith, but I was going to keep both for as long as I could.

~~Bella's POV~~

I allowed myself to be pulled into Jasper's strong and welcoming arms. I took in the strong, masculine scent of him and relaxed as he rocked gently back and forth. It wasn't long before I began to drift off and he pulled back and looked at me.

"You ready for bed?" He asked as he lifted me up.

"Well I guess you already know the answer. But yes. I am ready for bed."

He carried me into my room and pulled back the covers as he lay me down in my bed. I couldn't help but admire his strength and gentleness; he was the epitome of a southern gentleman. I put my hand on his shoulder as he pulled back from me.

"Stay?" I asked quietly.

"I'm going to. Just like I always do sweetheart. I'll stay until you fall asleep."

"No, I don't want you to leave. Please stay. I want you to be here when I wake up. If you don't mind that is." I felt my blush rising to my cheeks.

"It would be my pleasure." He responded before dipping to kiss my forehead.

I leaned back against my pillow and fell asleep to Jasper's soft soothing cadence.


	15. Boys will be Boys

**A/N: Life catches up with us all at some point, but I have not given up and I am still writing every chance I get. I promise all of you that I will not abandon either of my stories. I am just taking a bit longer to get chapters to the beta, and my wonderful Beta JaspersDarlinKathy is also beyond busy right now. If you have not been to her page to read some of her awesome writing and show her some love please do so right now, because she is a total saint and is currently burning the candle at 1,000 ends. I honestly have no idea how she does it all, but I thank her for taking the time to read my little ole story. I hope you enjoy this, and the next chapter will have quite a bit more meat.**

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Surprise of a Lifetime 15

~~Bella's POV~~

My eyes blurred as I squinted against the light. I opened them more slowly the second time and I felt my heart drop when I realized Jasper wasn't sitting in front of me. I groaned as I stretched from my fingers to my toes. As I moved my arms above my head, I encountered something solid and cold.

"Good Morning Bella." I heard from somewhere rather close to my head.

I turned slowly and took in Jasper's mischievous smile for only a second before I felt cold fingers glide up my ribs. I pushed against his firm chest in an effort to break his playful hold on me, but it was useless. I laughed and then began to breathe faster as he tickled me.

"Stop. Stop. I have to pee and my breath is atrocious. Let me up or we will have to clean the sheets later." I grated out between gasps.

"You were the one who wanted me to stay all night… I had nothing to do with that request." He smiled at me from inches away, and I felt a burst of happiness and calm explode in my chest.

"No fair, asshole. That is totally cheating." I scrambled away from him and made my way to the bathroom where I groaned at the sight in the mirror before beginning my morning routine.

"Take your time, and I'll fix you breakfast. Do you want pancakes or muffins?" I heard his voice clearly over the running water.

"Mmm. Surprise me." I called as I waited for the water to warm up.

I took my time as Jasper had suggested and allowed the warm water to alleviate some of the minor aches and pains I felt that morning. My body was beginning to stretch and change to accommodate for the growing life inside of me, and I took every minor ache as a sign that things were going well.

I was thinking about the conversation we had the night before and smiled as I thought of Emmett. I had missed my big brother and was glad to hear that he was glad to have me back. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I just needed to find a local monster truck show that I could take him to. With his love of all things man, I knew he would adore watching the destruction and speed at the indoor stadiums.

I mused with the idea of inviting Rose to dinner with Angela and Emily the following weekend and smiled as I thought of telling Angela all about the hidden world in Forks. She would probably die when she found out, but I relished the thought of having another girl I could talk to about my personal life without having to edit out all of the important facts.

I was glad to have the time alone to do some rearranging and figuring stuff out. I had so many things that had changed recently that I needed time to process, and accept everything. I heaved a sigh of relief and stepped out of the shower. I toweled off and shimmied into a pair of jeans and a maternity top before walking into the hallway.

~~Jasper's POV~~

"You look amazing." I couldn't help the words that came from my mouth.

"Such a sweet talker. Something smells delicious." She said as she stepped into the kitchen and I couldn't imagine a better way to spend my Sunday morning.

"I decided to make both, so the muffins will be out in a few minutes and the pancakes and bacon are already done and waiting." I moved closer to her and stole a quick kiss before sitting in a chair to watch as she fixed her plate.

"You know the way to my heart, Jazz." She smirked and sat down, digging into her plate.

"Jazz?" I questioned.

"You don't like it? I think it fits, but I can drop it, if you don't." She looked shy as she answered.

"I like it; I was just surprised is all. The only other person who calls me that is Peter."

"Peter? I don't know that I've heard that name." Confusion flickered across her features briefly.

"I promise I'll tell you all about him, and I'm sure you'll meet him at some point. He's the person who saved me." I wasn't ready to delve into my past this bright, beautiful morning.

"Okay, I look forward to hearing about it. Now I'm going to finish scarfing these awesome pancakes. It isn't fair that you vamps can cook better than us humans. Especially seeing as you don't even eat." She gave me a faux evil glare before returning to her food. I chuckled quietly as she finished eating.

"So did you have anything in particular in mind that you wanted to do today?" I asked lightly as I took her dishes to the sink and began washing them.

"I was hoping we could hang out with the family today." She turned to face me and I smiled brightly.

"I am sure that can be arranged."

We spent the rest of the morning hanging out and talking about everything that had happened. We talked about Alice and Edward being home. I was worried she wouldn't want to do movie night because they were staying at the house, but she was actually excited to see them and ask them about Alaska.

I asked her about why she had not spoken to Edward at the party since it was something I had noticed, but forgot to mention the night before. She responded that she hadn't purposely not talked to him, but that she had been so overwhelmed by the fact that they had shown up that she wasn't sure what to say to them.

I convinced her that I understood although she did ask several times if I thought Alice or Edward might be upset about it.

"I'm sure they both understand. Edward was probably uncomfortable anyway, because of the way he left you so many years ago. He really didn't handle the situation very well and Esme was angry at him for a while for 'leading you along' for so long." I tried to control my own anger at the situation.

"Jazz. I was 18 and obsessed with him. There wasn't really a good way to end it. Although I do understand now that he confused his infatuation and curiosity about me for love. I can see how that would be a hard thing for someone to accept. No wonder he tucked tail and ran. I would have been totally crushed if he had told me he was in love with Alice. I also would have been really confused. It's all in the past now, I just need to tell him that and I'm sure things will be fine." Her acceptance always seemed to take me by surprise. She was so mature about the whole situation. I just needed to follow her lead.

"Well we better get going; Emmett has sent me at least 10 texts since I told him we would be coming over for family day."

"Haha. Impatient for an immortal isn't he?"

"That is Emmett's calling card-impatience." I laughed at the face she made and pulled her into my arms for a hug.

~~Bella's POV~~

I breathed in deeply as I held onto Jasper's waist tightly. His reassurance calmed me down considerably and I was thankful that he seemed to know what I needed from him. I twisted my head and brought our lips together, which seemed to startle him. It only caught him off guard for a second and he melted against me.

I enjoyed the slow pace of the kiss, and moved my hands lower on his back to bring him more firmly against myself. After a few moments I pulled away breathless and grinned as Jasper brought his fingers to his lips.

"Darlin' you're going to kill me with those heavenly lips of yours."

"Yeah, yeah. At least you'll go smiling sweetie." I retorted as I pulled out of his arms and darted to the front door.

"Such a tease." He laughed as he followed behind me.

As soon as we got into the truck I asked him about whose turn it was to choose the movies and he got this look on his face. I knew immediately that it was his turn and I began to ask what movies we would be watching, but he just kept shaking his head. He refused to answer and we finally pulled into his driveway.

As soon as I had my door cracked, it was pulled open by a smiling Emmett.

"Hey there sis. Did Jasper do anything untoward last night? Or is he safe from Rosie?" He gave me wide eyes and I realized that although he was mostly joking, there was a serious question in there.

"Rosie would hurt Jasper?" I asked incredulously.

"Oh yeah Bells." He pulled me out of the truck and moved me to his back like I were a child who had asked for a piggy-back ride.

"Tell Rosie that Jasper is too much of a gentleman to do anything untoward." I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck even though there was no danger I would fall from his arms.

"Will do. So did Jasper tell you what we have the pleasure of watching today?" He began practically skipping up the front steps.

"No. He refused. What are we watching?" I asked eagerly.

"High Noon and 3:10 to Yuma. Jasper loves to torture the rest of us with his westerns…." He laughed as I groaned.

"It isn't torture. It's fantastic cinematography." Jasper darted in front of us and opened the door.

"Oh great. Just what I wanted to watch today…" I laughed as Jasper gave me the stink eye.

Once inside Emmett lowered me to the ground and put his arm around my shoulder. I immediately took in the spicy sweet scent of Chinese food.

"What the heck? I can't go anywhere without one of you Cullen's trying to feed me." I raised my eyebrow at Emmett as he led me into the kitchen where Rosalie and Esme were stacking plates of food on the table.

"Bella! We're so glad you wanted to come over again today." Esme gave me a huge hug before stepping back.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. You really didn't have to cook for me though, Jasper made me enough breakfast for a week, and there is enough food on the table to feed the pack. I'm only one person."

"Well we don't get to use the kitchen enough and you can take the leftovers for lunch or something." She walked back over to the stove where she pulled out a yummy looking cake. I felt happy tears well up in my eyes and I turned to Jasper who was standing just behind me.

"They can't help it. I've tried to get them to tone it down, but they are just too damn excited for their own good." He answered my unspoken question.

"Language, Jasper." Esme scolded without even turning to look at him.

"How are you feeling today?" Rose had slipped next to me without my noticing.

"I'm feeling good. I can tell that my stomach is starting to stretch, but it will be a few more months before I'm really showing." I looked at her, and could see her excitement. "I'm actually planning on going to Port Angeles Tuesday after work with Angela to do some shopping, if you'd like to come along." I offered.

"Oh, I'd love to. It will be fun." She lit up and I knew I had done the right thing by offering.

"I'm glad. It will be fun." I replied with enthusiasm. Perhaps Jasper was right, and I should try to get to know her better.

We laughed for a few minutes over the guys. Emmett was daring Jasper to try frog, and Jasper was trying to get Emmett to try sheep. They continued on for a while, comparing the worst things they had ever eaten, and Jasper won when he mentioned a skunk he'd once been dared to eat by Peter. Esme looked horrified by this and went into the living room to start setting up. Rosalie and I followed her and helped move furniture to allow the large number of people.

Afterward I pulled Rose into the study and asked her where Alice and Edward were.

"They went for a quick hunt. You are still Edward's singer and he hasn't been around you in quite some time. They are just trying to be extra cautious."

"Oh that makes sense I suppose." We went back into the kitchen where I finally sat down and ate some food. It was absolutely amazing and I mentioned that to Esme. She seemed pleased and I asked where Carlisle was.

"He had an emergency come up, but he should be here in the next half hour or so. Someone needed to have an appendix removed." I nodded and looked over to Jasper who was being held in a headlock by Emmett, who was trying to get him to admit that he was stronger.

I watched as Jasper maneuvered around Emmett and pinned him. Esme spoke loud and clear. "No wrestling in the house, or I will personally ground each of you."

"Yes ma'am," fell in unison from their lips and I quirked my head to the side as they lunged for the door to the backyard.

"Oh great, it's going to be one of those days." Rosalie rolled her eyes at me. "Care to join me in watching them?"

"They are really going to go into the back yard and wrestle?" I asked bewildered.

"Boys will be boys. They get this way sometimes. Personally I like watching Jasper knock Emmett down a few times." She smiled.

"Jasper can take Emmett on? I thought Emmett was stronger?"

"Emmett is much stronger, but Jasper has better tactics in hand to hand combat. Every now and then Em can take him on, but mostly they just do this to get out some energy."

I laughed and trailed behind her as she walked onto the back porch. We had a great view from where we were, and it was actually a lot of fun to watch the two boys wrestling like kids.


	16. Edward

**A/N: Sorry about how long this took. I am in the grieving process before a year long deployment and working, so I'm trying to keep my head above water. I hope you like this, and chapter 7 of whiskey kisses will be up later this week.**

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Surprise of a lifetime 16

~~Jasper's POV~~

I laughed as Emmett rolled underneath me, writhing and groaning as I tried to get him to call uncle. It wasn't often that we were able to let go and release our frustrations. It's not that we were angry with each other, we just needed to get all of our pent up energy out. The past week had been stressful for me in more ways than one, and Emmett was always ready for a fight.

Emmett and I continued our sparring as the girls watched on. It was the most fun I had allowed myself to have in quite a while and I was really surprised by the ease I felt around Bella already. I would be lying if I didn't mention the tension coursing through my body at the thought of Bella talking to Alice and Edward. I knew in my head that Bella was over Edward, but my heart seemed to think the best course of action was to take her away until they had left for Alaska again.

I growled lightly as Emmett took me down. He mumbled as I hit the ground.

"You are too preoccupied." He thought he was a damn Yoda or something.

"Kiss my ass Emmett." I responded with plenty of snark.

We continued back and forth until I heard the rustle of footsteps in the distance and tensed.

"Calm down bro, they have to get this over with eventually. Rose won't let anything bad happen. She is already like a mama bear with Bella." Emmett put his hand on my shoulder in a firm grip.

"I know, I know. I just don't want Bella to get upset or anything. She has enough to worry about right now." I shrugged his hand off.

"We all feel that way some times. But Bella has a backbone, she won't put up with any shit."

I contemplated his words and took a deep breath as Alice and Edward approached the back porch. I listened intently as they walked up the stairs and within talking range of Bella and Rosalie.

"Hey Bella." I felt myself frown at Edward's words.

~~Bella's POV~~

"Hello Edward." My unease rose in my chest, and I looked to find Jasper in the woods.

"I need to apologize for not speaking to you at your birthday party. I knew that it would be awkward, and I didn't want to cause you any undue stress." Edward looked sheepish for the first time, I remembered.

"Cut the bull Edward. We both know the real reason you didn't talk to me. You didn't want to face up to the mistake you made." I cut my eyes to the side at the man I had once thought I loved.

"Bella, you were not a mistake. I regret the way I left you, and for that I will never forgive myself. I am sorry that I was not mature enough to tell you the truth, and that I hurt not only you, but also hurt Alice for all those years. I can never make up for the things I said to you, and I understand if you can't forgive me, but I can only hope you won't hold my actions against Alice." He held his hands in front of himself and I raised an eyebrow.

"Edward, I appreciate your apology. I agree that it will be hard for me to forgive you, however I have moved on and expect to become part of this family someday. I can't spend forever angry at you. I have too many other things to spend my time and energy on. I agree that you behaved immaturely when you left, however I can only hope that time and acceptance have allowed you to grow up. Give me time, and I'm sure someday we will have a friendship." I reached out to accept his offered hand. We shook hands and he smiled a relieved smile.

"Thank you Bella." He nodded briefly and stepped beside Alice.

"Don't thank me yet Edward. I still have some talking to do with Alice, and don't expect your attempt to prevent me from saying my peace to her to have worked. If Alice and I are ever going to get over the past between us we will have to just get it all out. When you all left it wasn't just you I lost Edward. You took my family from me. That has been harder to get over than you could ever know. If Alice and I stand a chance of becoming friends again we need to deal with some of the hurt she caused me." I put my hand on my hip and unconsciously began running my hand across my stomach.

Edward looked like he was about to say something, but he closed his mouth and looked at Alice, who spoke up immediately. "She's right you know. I owe Bella more apologies than I can fit into this family day. I have already talked with Bella about getting together before we leave." She glanced up at me and smiled briefly.

"I won't be too hard on her Edward. I just need to hear it from her. She went from being my best friend to completely ignoring me overnight. We've got some things to discuss." I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned to see Rosalie smiling at me.

"I think it's time to go break the boys up. They are starting to get really tired, but they won't stop unless we separate them." She grinned.

"Alright, alright. See you later guys. Let's go get our men." I waved to Alice and Edward and took Rosalie's hand and we skipped into the back yard.

"Boys! Mom wants you two to get cleaned up and ready." Rosalie called as we got closer to the two of them. They separated almost immediately and they looked at each other with an evil glance, before turning to us and charging.

I screamed as Jasper scooped me up in his arms and spun me around before putting me on the ground and tickling me. I was giggling and writhing on the grass when I realized I needed to go to the bathroom. "Jasper! Stop tickling me! I'm going to pee on you! Seriously Jazz do not mess with a pregnant lady that has to go!" I laughed as he eased up.

"Did you just threaten to pee on me for the second time today?" He raised an eyebrow in a comical way.

"I most certainly did, and don't expect it to be the last time if you keep deciding to test your luck by tickling me." I deadpanned with an evil glare on my face.

Jasper just pulled me close and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, before turning around and making his way inside to get cleaned up and changed. As he crossed into the kitchen I heard Esme call out to him and Emmett. "You two get to help me fix up the yard later."

~~Jasper's POV~~

I breathed a sigh of relief as I showered quickly and changed into a clean set of clothes. I was pulling a shirt out of my closet when I heard the door whisper open. The scent of strawberries invaded my nose and I turned in time to see Bella pulling the door shut behind her.

"Hey Bella, what are you doing up here?" I asked with some concern as she spun to face me.

"Emmett was chasing me around downstairs so I decided to find refuge. I figured you could keep me safe." She smiled up at me.

"Ahh, makes sense now. Just let me throw on my shirt and I'll give you the official tour of my room." I began unbuttoning the shirt quickly with some embarrassment before sliding my arms into the long sleeves.

"Here let me do that." She stepped forward and started with the bottom button. I watched with fascination as she used slender fingers to loop each button through its hole. "Why do you do that?" She asked without moving her eyes from the task at hand.

"Do what?"

"Why do you always wear long sleeves? I noticed it before, but forgot to ask." She raised her chin to meet my gaze.

"Bella I would love to tell you all about my past, but can this wait until we are alone? I wouldn't be able to face the entire family if you ran off in disgust. My past is dark and disturbing even for a vampire. I won't hide any of it from you; I just can't bear the thought of you running away from me." I bit my lower lip and looked away from her questioning eyes. I felt her curiosity rise up and worried that she wouldn't be able to leave it alone. I took a few steps back and sat on the bed in the center of the room.

"Jasper Whitlock! If you think whatever it is you have to tell me is going to send me running you clearly don't know me at all. You are an amazing man. Whatever it is that is dark and scary in your past is just a piece of what made you into you. I don't care what you've done in the past as long as it stays there. I'll let this wait until later, but don't think I'm going to let you forget about this."

"Bella, take a deep breath. Your heart is beating a mile a minute. I didn't mean to imply that I think you would take off and never look back. I just worry that you will need time to accept the things I did as a newborn and after. I…well, even the family has a hard time accepting some parts of my past. I've mentioned that before. To answer your question I wear long sleeve shirts to hide the scars I have."

She looked at me in surprise and sat beside me on the bed before reaching a hand onto my lap. She took a few calming breaths and leaned her head into my shoulder before speaking quietly. "I didn't see any scars when I came into the room, before you put on your shirt."

I felt her tension ease out of her body as she relaxed into me. I put an arm around her shoulders and felt her happiness and acceptance. I don't know why I ever doubted her loyalty. Bella had always been so understanding and loving. I should have known she wouldn't ever look at me with repulsion in her eyes as I told her about my past.

"There are very few of them that are visible to human eyes and those are all on my shoulder blades and collar bones. Most of them can only be seen by other vampires, but they are intimidating." I answered softly.

We sat in silence for a while before Bella turned to me and pulled herself into my lap. I leaned back further on the bed and adjusted our positions until we were both comfortable. Bella closed her eyes and held my hand as we sat there just enjoying each other's company.

I began singing without much thought to the lullaby I had known for longer than a century.

**My heart is like a ****singing**** bird  
Whose nest is in a watered shoot;  
My ****heart**** is like an apple tree  
Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;  
My ****heart**** is like a rainbow shell  
That paddles in a purple sea;  
My heart is gladder than all these  
Because my love is come to me.**

Raise me a dais of silk and down;  
Hang it with vair and purple dyes;  
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,  
And peacocks with a hundred eyes;  
Work it in gold and silver grapes,  
In leaves and silver fleur-de-lys;  
Because the birthday of my life  
Is come, my love, is come to me.

I felt Bella's surprise and awe as the words tumbled from my lips and I rocked gently back and forth. There were few things I remembered from my time before being changed; however this lullaby had been one of the things I had been able to hold onto. My mother sang it to me as a child and I equated its soft sweet verses with comfort and safety. The words had never held as much meaning to me as they did with Bella wrapped tightly in my arms and the heartbeat of our child thrumming in my ear.

"Your voice is amazing Jasper. You should sing more often."

"Stop, you'll make me blush!" I raised a hand to my face in mock shyness and Bella laughed before pushing against my chest. I needed to be pulled out of my musings before I got too far ahead of myself.

I lowered my lips to hers and felt electricity sizzle through them at the contact. I pulled back and smiled at the sight of Bella's half-closed eyes.

"Even if you could blush I doubt that I would be the cause of it. You regularly make me blush though." Her smile was sly and lopsided.


	17. Escaping Emmett

**A/N: Okay so this is totally a little teaser chapter, just to show you that I am working on this story it is just slow moving. For a while it felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest, so it was hard to write something so sweet. I'm recently moved back across country to live with family while my husband is overseas, so I'm getting there. I hope you like this as much as I do and I hope to have a longer chapter out soon!**

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Surprise of a Lifetime 17

~~Bella's POV~~

I opened my eyes fully and gazed up at Jasper. I smiled as he touched his lips to my forehead before speaking quietly. "And what a cute blush it is…" He trailed off.

Jaspers head whipped toward the door before looking at me darkly. "Taking refuge? What is it exactly that Emmett is storming around looking for Bella? I want to know why I'm housing a fugitive and if I think it's worth it." He gripped me as though in preparation for tickling me for the third time that day.

"Well…" I looked around the room with shifty eyes for emphasis. Reaching into my pocket I pulled out the Wii-mote I had hidden there earlier.

"You didn't! Bella, Emmett's likely to tear down my door once he realizes you went missing at the same time as his controller. Let's get down there and try to slip it back where it belongs before he gets too crazy." He began pinching me playfully trying to chase me out of his bedroom door.

I turned to face him abruptly and he stopped. "I love you Jasper." I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck before pulling myself against him to kiss him firmly. The kiss evolved into groping and harsh breaths.

"I love you too Bella. Now let's get down there before I forget myself and lock us in here for the day." Jasper smirked as he reached behind me to open the door.

"Hmm, if you insist…" I giggled as we made our way to the living room. We got almost halfway downstairs before Emmett met us on the stairs with evil eyes.

"Bella, Bella, Bella. You didn't honestly think you could get away with this did you? Jasper can only protect you for so long before even he gets fed up with my ability to nag." Emmett wedged himself between us and put an arm around our shoulders before turning to me.

"I haven't the slightest idea what you could be talking about." Jasper glanced at me as I tried unconvincingly to get Emmett from between us.

"Em, Bella's had a rough day. How can she get out of this situation with the least amount of trouble?" Jasper had decided to mediate the situation like a parent. I tried to bolt down the stairs hoping Jasper was trying for a distraction.

"Ah ah ah. Not so fast there preggers. Not even Jasper here can protect you from me." Emmett lifted me easily and trapped me against the wall. He raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer.

"Fine I guess you don't want to know about my surprise gift for you…" I trailed off trying to look pitiful.

"Wait, what gift?" Emmett perked up like a dog hearing the word treat.

"If you kill me, you will never know and Esme will probably be super pissed too." I smirked and shrugged my shoulders lightly.

"Jasper, is this some sort of trick she is playing so I don't go kung fu on her?" Emmett looked to Jasper with wide eyes.

~~Jasper's POV~~

"She is telling the truth. However I haven't the slightest idea what present she could be talking about. She hasn't told me anything." I turned my head toward Bella searching her eyes for an answer.

"I guess you've earned yourself a pardon, but I need my lucky controller back so I can whip Rose's ass." Emmett smiled before taking a step back from Bella. Bella grinned and reached into her pocket before slowly handing the Wii-mote over to Emmett with slightly hunched shoulders. Emmett made some fake punching motions and growled at her before bounding down the steps at nearly vampire speed.

"That was closer than I'd like to admit." Bella laughed easily before leaning into my chest and glancing up at me with innocent eyes.

"Close for whom? Not you, that's for sure. Emmett wouldn't harm a hair on your head and you know that. You used that to your advantage. Now what's this surprise present you mentioned? Now that you aren't wanted by my maniac brother we could go back up to my room if you'd like?" My voiced raised slightly with the hope I was feeling.

"Mmmm. I would love to go back up to your room, but we should probably get down there and start the movie. I'll tell you all about my secret plan once we get back to my place." She gave me a mischievous smile and a quick kiss before stepping down into the foyer.

The rest of the night progressed uneventfully. Bella pretended to like the movie for my sake, but joked along with the others about how long and drawn out it was. We had a lot of fun and decided after the first movie was over to play a game of monopoly. As the night was winding down Bella began yawning.

"It's been a blast as usual guys. Thanks for having me over for dinner. Emmett, I'll call you later this week to tell you all about your gift, and don't expect to find out about it one minute sooner. Rosalie I'll see you on Tuesday. Alice I will see you tomorrow, and with that I am going to steal Jasper for the evening." Bella looked at me with delight evident across her beautiful face.

"I know when to lead and when to follow boys, and it's my time to follow my lady's lead." I managed a half bow before a pillow flew toward me. Bella laughed quietly as she pretended not to have thrown it. Feeling better than I had in a while I leaned over and picked her up like a toddler. I waved off the family's cheers and made my way to the truck.

"I had fun tonight." Bella spoke quietly.

"I know." I raised an eyebrow and gave her an evil smirk.

"Who knew you were such a smartass? Maybe I should let you stay at your parents' house for the night." Bella questioned lightly.

"I don't think I could stay away from you for a night." A serious panic began to fill me.

"Relax Jazz; I wouldn't be able to sleep a night without you. You know that was just a joke right?" Bella's forehead wrinkled in concern.

"I know. I just worry that one day you'll decide you've had enough of this crazy life. I'm always afraid you are just one day away from deciding to leave this all behind for a normal family." I spoke words that had been bubbling in my mind for weeks.

"Jasper, don't even think like that. I am not some fickle 17 year old. I know what I want. I intend to be with you forever. I don't just mean one lifetime because I don't think the amount of love I have for you could fit into one lifetime. If you and the family are willing to have me, I plan to join you for eternity. I know our relationship is new and that we are moving slow, but that isn't because I have any doubts or questions about us. I just want to make sure you know what we are getting into. I will be having this baby and it will be human. I don't know how that will work out. I do know that I love you and I can't imagine a life without you." Her pleading tone and the love flowing off of her freely almost rooted me to the spot.

I carefully set Bella on the ground beside my truck and pulled her close. My right hand rose to her face and gently swept the loose hair there behind her ear. My mind was spinning as I leaned in and brushed my lips across hers. The kiss was more than passion. It was filled with every promise, both spoken and unspoken, between us. As our lips swept back and forth she pulled herself closer to me until I could feel two heartbeats against my torso. I was a broken man before I found Bella Swan, but in that moment I knew I had found the missing piece of my soul.

The moment was broken by clapping and whistles. Bella and I pulled back breathlessly and it took us a few moments to find Emmett and the rest of the family watching from the porch. Bella leaned up to my ear and whispered quietly enough for only me to hear. "I'm ready."

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**So, What do you think? Any reviews will be savoured and treated like chocolate!**


	18. Rebirth

**ERHMAGHAD! A new chapter! It took a little longer than 2 weeks to finally hit publish and I may or may not feel like a total fraud. I'm going to need kind words and chocolates to feel like this was worth it. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Surprise of a Lifetime 18

~~Bella's POV~~

I leaned up on my toes and put my lips against his ear. "I'm ready," I breathed as quietly as I could.

The shudder that traveled through his body was almost nonexistent, but I knew how much I had blown his control that I'd been able to feel it at all. Without a word, or a glance back at the family still cheering and staring at us; Jasper closed the distance to the truck and was pulling onto the road before I had even blinked.

"Bella, I." He stopped. "We." Another frozen sentence. "Are you?" He seemed to be choking on words that he didn't want to say, but was too gentlemanly not to.

I took the opportunity to slide over the seat until I had melted into his side. I brought a hand up to his hair and began lightly tugging it. I forced my fingers to calm down as I pushed my fingers onto his scalp to grip the hair tighter. I moved his head in fractions until my lips were flush with his neck. I opened my lips to swipe my tongue quickly across his neck before kissing my way up to his ear.

"I'm ready." This; more matter of factly and calm, so that he understood it wasn't something I was offering lightly.

Jaspers foot inched closer to the floor as he pushed the accelerator down. His right hand moved to my thigh and began rubbing light circles there. Things were beginning to heat up when my cell phone began to ring.

"You've got to be kidding me." I groaned as I leaned down to pluck the offending phone off the floor. I didn't recognize the number but I flipped it open anyway.

"Bella?" Emily was breathing harsh and sounded tired.

"Emily? What's up?" I asked quickly.

"Bella, the baby's coming. I need you to get to the hospital. I need you here." I looked at Jasper with what must have been a mixture of disappointment and excitement. Jasper looked deceptively neutral as I replied.

"Of course. Jasper and I are on the way. We will be there shortly." I answered. She thanked me and hung up quickly as another contraction seemed to take hold.

I looked over to where Jasper was carefully staring at the road. I scooted closer to his body.

"How shitty is the timing? She's almost 2 weeks early." I looked up at him and shrugged a shoulder.

"It's probably for the best. I know we both want this, but it would be nice to wine and dine you a bit first." Jasper ducked his head and smiled a shy smile.

"Aww, you sweet talker you! How many times have I told you that my pregnancy hormones are not to be messed with? I'm telling you any other guy wouldn't have any qualms about 'taking care of business'. You sir are a true southern gentleman. I am lucky to have such a wonderful guy." I leaned under his lifted arm and he gave me a tight squeeze.

"Bella, I am the one lucky to have you in my life. You deserve to be pursued. As much as I would love to be intimate with you I know how easily you could see that I don't deserve you." Jasper whispered into my ear with conviction.

I felt my protest rising in my throat but as I looked up to speak, I saw that we were in the parking lot of the hospital. I pulled Jasper's face closer to mine and kissed him quickly on the cheek. "We will resume this discussion later. I have a lot of valid arguments I think you need to hear." I waggled my eyebrows suggestively before sliding to my side of the truck to climb out.

The walk into the hospital was short and we arrived at the maternity ward in no time. I looked at Jasper and was sure my apprehension was a palpable thing.

"It's normal to feel anxious. You don't know what to expect. I'll be just down the hall in the waiting room if things get too intense and you need some help." Jasper led me to the room number Emily had given me and I knocked quietly on the door as Jasper made his way to the waiting area down the hall.

The door opened quickly and a frazzled looking Sam stood taking up almost the entire doorway. "Bella, thank goodness you made it. Emily was beginning to say that she wasn't going to push until you got here. I think she was serious." He pulled me into a half hug and dragged me bodily into the large delivery room.

"Bella! Oh my gosh, I am so glad you made it! I thought I was going to kill Sam. I need you to talk to me. He is such a wuss that he would wait out in the hall if he could." Emily looked tired, but immensely happy as I made my way over to wrap my arms around her tightly.

"So how far along are you?" I asked as I pulled back.

"9 centimeters and too dilated to have the epidural. We didn't realize I was in active labor until we called and Dr. Cullen said I needed to come in. The contractions weren't that bad, until just about an hour ago. I feel like I'm going to die every time I have one." Her grip on my hand got tighter until my fingers turned white as her voice trailed off.

"Are you having one now?" My voice was higher than normal.

"Yes…." She grunted as she took stuttered breaths. Her grip loosened slowly as her breathing righted itself. "Bella, I don't know if I can do this." Her eyes pleaded with mine and I looked over to where Sam looked on helplessly.

"Sam, you hold her hand and talk to her. I have to go talk to Jasper for a second." I didn't wait for an answer as I made my way to the door. I found the waiting room quickly and sighed in relief when I found only two people in there.

"Bella" Two voices spoke in unison.

"Hey Jake, I need to talk to Jasper about something real quick." I pulled on Jasper's arm and he rose smoothly and followed without questioning me. "Jasper I need your help. By the time she got here she was too far dilated for an epidural. Please tell me there is something you can do for her?" I looked up at him like a child might look at a mall Santa while asking for a pony.

"Of course. I'll need to stand outside the door, but I can take most of the pain from her. It's not going to be pleasant by any means, but I can make it tolerable for her. I have had some success with being able to ease the pressure almost entirely." Jasper wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Won't that mean you will have to feel all of that pain?" I questioned with tears dotting my eyes.

"I'll feel it anyways, this will be a bit stronger for me, but Emily is your friend and I would do this for any of my patients. I like that my gift can help women in labor. It's part of why I went into the field in the first place." He paused briefly. "You better get back in there. The doctor is checking her and it is time to begin pushing. I'll be right outside the door."

"Okay. Thank you Jasper. You don't know how much this means to me." I replied as he led me back to Emily's room. I pushed the door open without knocking and found my spot beside Emily.

"Oh gosh, oh gosh…." Her groaning tapered off as she pulled my hand to her chest. The doctor began gloving up and nurses poured into the room.

"I'm here. Things are going to get better, okay? Trust me; you are stronger than this Emily. You are one tough woman." My mind went on autopilot as I began a litany of encouragement.

"No, I'm not. Bella I can't do this without an epidural. I am not strong enough." She spoke loudly between contractions.

"Yes you can. Jasper is going to be helping. Things should start to get easier soon. This won't last long. You are going to be holding that baby boy of yours soon enough. He is going to be gorgeous just like you." I couldn't keep my mouth shut as the doctor pulled up a stool and sat between Emily's legs.

"Okay I'm going to show you what we are going to do during each contraction. We are going to lift your legs all the way up to your chest, breathe in deep, hold it and push for 10 seconds at a time. Then we will put your legs back down until the next contraction starts. Once the head starts to fully crown, if I tell you to stop pushing I want you to listen. I want to do everything in my power to prevent any rips or tears. You are in really good shape and this should be a pretty quick and easy labor." Doctor Evans spoke confidently and calmly as he described the process and Emily's face seemed to relax as he spoke.

"Okay." She answered before looking up at me. "He's doing it. The contractions don't hurt as bad. The pressure is almost gone. Jasper is a lifesaver." She whispered to me while the Doctor was distracted with something.

"I told you he would be able to help. Now let's do this." I squeezed her hand gently and Sam walked over to the other side of the bed.

"I love you Emily. I am so proud of you baby." He swept a tear from under her eye and took hold of her hand.

After that things became a blur of activity. Emily pushed during each contraction, bearing down for 10 seconds at a time while Sam and I each held a leg up to her chest. I thought it would be a lot harder to see. I thought it might be gross, or weird. But everything was so beautiful and natural that it all seemed to be amazing to me.

After only 25 minutes of pushing Jerad Alexander Uley was born. He was 7 pounds 12 ounces and 19 and a half inches long. He was amazing. The whole experience was too beautiful to describe. As the new parents doted on their son I slunk out into the hallway to see Jasper.

"Jasper." I was speechless. His arms fell open and I leaned into them without thought. "Emily said to thank you for everything. How are you doing? It was so wonderful. He's adorable." My mind flew through topics too rapidly for my mouth to keep up.

"Calm down Bella, you've got the rest of the night to tell me all about it. But it's getting pretty late and you still have work tomorrow. Want to go spend a little bit of time with them?" He asked lightly as if worried he might hurt my feelings.

"No, I'm just going to pop in and let them know we'll be taking off. I know Sam and Emily probably want a little time to digest everything and enjoy Jerad to themselves. Besides you and I still have that discussion to finish. I hope you didn't think my emotions were going to take me too far away from topic."

~~Jasper's POV~~

As Bella and I made our way out of the hospital I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and drew her as close to me as possible. She seemed to unknowingly mold herself to my side and my ability to think rationally was once again impeded. The stress of the day left me drained but happy to be with my Bella, proud that she felt comfortable enough to come to me when things got difficult. I helped her into the truck with my thoughts running in a thousand different directions.

"JASPER!" I turned to look at Bella and realized we were halfway to her house.

"I'm sorry, I was somewhere else." I looked away quickly, feeling shame at having been able to disappear so fully into my own head.

"I'll say. I've been trying to get your attention since we got into the truck. What were you thinking about?" She looked perplexed and I felt her curiosity along with a healthy dose of apprehension.

"I was just thinking about today. It's been a long and eventful day. It's been a lot to process even for a vampire." I shrugged quickly.

"That's not like you Jazz. Did something upset you today?" I could feel her worry and it made me feel like a complete and total jerk.

"No, nothing upset me. I was just thinking about you. About us. You have no idea how much time I devote to worrying about that sort of stuff." Bella pulled herself to me and laughed lightly.

"I thought only girls did that sort of thing." She elbowed me before laughing brightly.

"Yeah, yeah. Pick on me because I'm sensitive. I see how it is with you. Screwed if I do, screwed if I don't." I smiled down at her and she wrapped her arm more tightly around my middle.

"I wasn't picking on you, just teasing mercilessly. There is a difference, however subtle it might be." I could almost taste her mischievousness and I felt more carefree than I had since before we left the house that afternoon.

"Is there anyway I can weasel my way out of that long conversation tonight? I feel like I'm going to need a chance to shore up my slipping defenses against the onslaught you've prepared." I liked the easy banter between us, and felt comfortable broaching this subject in jest.

"Why Jasper, are you accusing me of fighting dirty? How dare you treat a lady like that!" Her mock anger was overplayed and her immediate chuckle made it seem even more unrealistic, but I played along.

"Absolutely not, merely stating that you have nature on your side in this battle of wills. Obviously I want you. The things I want to do to you shouldn't be spoken of in public. I just want a chance to woo you. To show you exactly how much those things mean to me. I want you to know 100 percent that I am what you want before I take this to the next level." What started off in a joking manner lead to a very real confession.

"Okay. I can understand that. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to go at the pace you set Jasper. I want you to have the chance to woo me. But can we compromise on what we will and won't do? I am dealing with these crazy hormones after all." She pleaded with her words and her actions as her hand began slowly trailing up and down my thigh.

"Bella, Bella, Bella…you test my resolve simply by existing. I would travel to the end of the world and back for you. I imagine we can come to some sort of agreement about physical limits. Thank you for understanding though. It means a lot to me." I slowed the truck to a stop as we pulled into her driveway.

"Mmm, I think we should have that conversation inside." Bella slid to her door, and I moved quickly to catch her as she stepped out.

"I'll start the tea while you get ready." We made our way inside and I began fixing her nightly tea in the kitchen. The routine of boiling the water and steeping the tea allowed me to think through possible outcomes of the upcoming conversation. I knew where I felt comfortable, but was sure I would be compromising some in an effort to make Bella happy as well.

"What kind of tea did you make for me tonight?" Bella inhaled deeply as she stepped into the kitchen.

"Cinnamon spice. It smells heavenly, doesn't it?" I answered as I turned to hold the cup out to her.

"It really does. This smells like fall to me. Want to sit in the living room or can we go into the bedroom?" I could see that she was exhausted from the long day we'd had and I reached for her elbow to lead her towards her room.

"It's been a long day, I'm sure you are ready to lay down. We can talk in there." When she was settled in bed, the air seemed to carry a tension that neither of us could bring ourselves to break for a few moments. Bella spoke.

"Jasper, I want you to feel comfortable. I don't want to feel like I'm pressuring you into anything, but I need more than chaste kisses and hand holding. I have needs and I want you to be there for me." Bella spoke with a quiet confidence and I could see how much she had grown in the time we had been gone. She had found her voice and wasn't afraid to ask for the things she wanted.

"Would you be alright with stuff similar to what we did the last week? I can bring you pleasure without actual intercourse." I spoke stiffly; talking about sex wasn't something I looked forward to. My upbringing hadn't prepared me for it.

"I would be fine with that. Although I want you to know that I'm ready whenever you are." She looked into my eyes for a moment before bringing the cup to her lips and taking a small sip. "This is really good. I still can't believe how awesome all of my gifts were. I've had an amazing weekend. I really can't imagine what I've done to deserve such an amazing guy." She looked up and smiled.

"Stop you're going to give me a big head." I laughed at the face she made.

"It's true. You don't know how hard the past couple of months have been. Then I come back home and in less than 2 weeks I'm happier than I've ever been. It's just shocking to say the least. I'm so lucky to have all of you back in my life. Oh, you want to know what Emmett's gift is?" Her smile grew as she finished speaking.

"That was quite the transition."

"Consider it mild ADD; my brain seems to be jumping through topics at a mile a minute. I have so many things I'm looking forward to that I'm having a hard time keeping them all straight." Bella spoke excitedly and reached out to take my hand.

"So what is this gift?" I finally asked.

"I'm going to take him to the monster truck rally. I know there are a couple that come through right after school starts so I'm going to buy tickets. You think he will like that?" She seemed to genuinely want my opinion and I was happy to give it.

"I think that is one of the best gifts you could give him. Emmett loves monster trucks, and he will have a blast hanging out with you." I could feel how good hearing my words made Bella feel.

"That's awesome. I figured it would be something he would enjoy. You know what I would enjoy though?" She quirked an eyebrow at me and grinned.

"No, what would you enjoy?" I asked with a bit of smile.

"I would kill for a shoulder rub right now. My neck and shoulders feel like they've got knots in them." She looked at me with puppy dog eyes and even batted her lashes a bit for extra measure.

"Are you really trying to flirt with me to get a massage?" I asked.

"Is it working?"

Yeah, I guess it is, but you didn't have to. All you had to do was ask." I moved to the bed and pushed her forward until I could move my legs to either side of her. Once I was sitting behind her I moved her hair out of the way.

I leaned in close to her and set my hands softly on her shoulders. I used the technique I had learned in school to work my thumbs into her muscles, and she moaned appreciatively. I used slow, small circles to loosen the muscle around her shoulder blades and her head fell forward without warning. It brought me a great deal of pleasure to see how much she was enjoying the massage.

"Oh, Jasper. That feels amazing." Her voice was raspy and soft.

"Should I have gone into massage?" I teased.

"Hell no, then everyone would know how wonderful your hands are. I want you all to myself. A girl could get used to having her own personal masseuse." She turned to smile at me and then rushed on to continue talking. "That is, if you don't mind giving me massages. I don't want to take advantage of you."

"Trust me when I say that I don't feel taken advantage of. I'm enjoying this just as much as you." I worked my fingers deeper into the now pliant tissue in her neck. "Are you ready for bed?"

"Yeah, I guess it is about that time. I've got school in the morning, and I have to talk to Alice tomorrow night. It's been a long day and I feel exhausted." She leaned her head back against my shoulder and opened her eyes to look up at me.

"How does your neck feel?" My hands moved to cradle her waist and Bella wiggled slightly to get more comfortable. Her warmth seeped into my chest and I smiled as she closed her eyes.

"It feels fantastic, thank you. Can I have a goodnight kiss?" Her words spurred me into action and I closed the slight distance between our lips. Her lips were already slightly parted and I wasted no time sliding my tongue against them.

"I'm telling you a girl could get used to this." She murmured against my lips as she twisted in my arms.

"You'd better get used to this. I don't plan on going anywhere." I moved down the bed until we were lying facing each other. Bella placed her hand on my cheek and spoke quietly.

"Good, because I don't want you going anywhere." Bella found a comfortable position and it didn't take long before her breathing evened and her muscles relaxed in sleep.

~~Bella's POV~~

I woke feeling calm and peaceful. I knew Jasper was laying beside me and I could feel his eyes on me. I spoke without ever opening my eyes. "I can feel you watching me. It's kind of creepy."

"You think so?" Jasper seemed to think he was so damn clever.

"By the way, I haven't really asked if you have other stuff you'd rather being doing at night. I'm sure it must get boring just laying around watching me sleep. We should probably figure something out later. Want to come over after Alice and I have dinner tonight?" I spoke the words without much thought and realized they must have been on my mind before falling asleep.

"I used to spend my nights reading the same hundred books over and over. I watched movies, and played games with Emmett. There is nothing more important going on between the hours of 9 at night and 6 in the morning. That said, I'd still love to come over after Alice leaves tonight." He leaned closer to capture my lips and I pulled away quickly.

"My breath is rank. There is no way I'm kissing you until I've brushed my teeth. Yet another point in favor of immortality." I pushed myself off the bed and towards the hall.

"Not having to deal with morning breath is a point in favor of immortality? What are some of the cons?" Jasper seemed to think this was hilarious as he struggled to get his question out between giggles.

"There's the whole blood lust thing of course; and a whole bunch of other things. I've got a spreadsheet on my laptop." I reached the bathroom as I was finishing my reply.

"Are you joking? You really have a list of pros and cons for becoming one of us?" Jasper asked incredulously.

"Mmm hmm." I hummed an answer as I brushed my teeth. Jasper found me in the bathroom and leaned against the door jamb looking at me with something I couldn't quite place. I looked back at him and raised my eyebrows. "What?" I spit quickly and rinsed my mouth.

"How long have you had this list?" Jasper asked quietly.

"Jazz, I've got to pee. I'll be in the living room in just a second." I smiled as I pushed the door shut. My thoughts raced as I realized the can of worms I had just opened. Might as well get this over as quickly as possible. I finished my morning ritual quickly and walked slowly into the living room to find Jasper sitting on the couch, waiting.

"So." I stood there self-consciously

"So, how long have you had a list of pros and cons? It's not a hard question, and it's not a trick question." Jasper beckoned me. I crossed the room and sat further down the couch than normal.

"Since I found out the family was back in town." I tried to disappear into the couch.

"Before we had even seen each other again?" He seemed genuinely confused by my answer.

"I had a lot of unanswered questions and I wanted to be better prepared this time, just in case the oppourtunity arose. I had this gut feeling that I couldn't lose you all again. If I'm being completely honest I've had a list in my mind since you all left last time." My answer was slow and I looked up, from the thread I was messing with, to gauge his expression.

"Did you think I would be upset? Bella, I'm glad you are thinking about a future with me. I'm glad that you love the entire family. That means more to me than you can understand. Tonight I'd like to talk to you about my past. We don't have time this morning, but I'm ready to tell you about my demons." His eyes were sad but seemed to be filled with determination.

"Thank you for trusting me enough to share with me Jasper. I look forward to tonight. I need to get ready for work and I'm sure you do too. See you tonight?"

"Absolutely. Have a good day." He stood and pulled me to him abruptly. "I'm not leaving without my morning kiss though."

"I guess…." I trailed off as he pushed his lips to mine and my words died on my lips. The kiss was short and sweet and I regretted the loss of contact as Jasper pulled away to leave. We shared another kiss and he was gone to get ready for his day and I began preparing for my own.


End file.
